Five Simple Words
by immawizard
Summary: Laney Penn is anything but a pageant girl. But when her beauty queen mother strikes a deal she can't resist, the spunky red head finds herself tangled in a massive pageant. Luckily, her band has her back in this unfortunate endeaver, but Corey's been acting a bit weird. When The Newmans come into the picture, romance, confusion, and Rocklympian tales are spread all over the pace.
1. The Problem Of A Pageant Girl's Daughter

**Guess who finally finished their Corney story? This took longer to write than I wanted it to (mainly because writing songs is hard). I put it on tumbr first (thatuntalentedloser is forever my true self), and it seems to be averagely liked, so Now it's off to the Larrieness! But for now, enjoy this drabbly thing from my mind.**

It only took five words, five simple words, "I love you, Corey Riffin.", yet she couldn't say them. So many times she had the chance, and clammed up. So many times she thought she could say it, and then made up a lame question. So many times she thought he might say it first, and he just walked away.

Three years she had dealt with those words, and not one time did they become easier to say. In her dreams, she would say what she felt, and everything was perfect. But this was reality, far away from her sugar-coated dreams of a better world.

Every time she thought she was ready, his smile made her heart race. His sparkling eyes made her knees weak. His charming smile brought a stuttering sensation to her speech. She could never bring herself to utter those words to such a wonderful person.

He was kind, lovable, and always willing to help those in need. True, he wasn't perfect. He had a one-track mind, was stubborn, and hopelessly competitive, but those flaws only drew her closer to him. She loved every single thing about him.

But he never noticed her in the way she noticed him. She was the best friend, or even worse, best bro. They would compete in video game challenges, have water-gun fights, and race against one another for first dibs at choices for movie night. She loved being with him. They got along very well; they were best friends, the very best of friends. And she would never escape that.

Laney sighed angrily and abruptly sopped strumming on her bass. Thinking about her depressing love life was not the best way to start her summer vacation. She had enough to think about without Corey on her mind.

This summer her parents had promised not to pester her about her music so long as she entered The Miss Sweetie-Pie of Peaceville pageant. She decided she could always throw the pageant and walk away with some of her dignity in tact, and took the bargain. It was going to be torture for sure, but it would be worth it when her parents would finally shut up about her band.

Don't get her wrong, she loved her parents dearly, but they constantly pestered her to be girly, to wear pink blouses and white shorts with flowers. They despise her love for rock and roll music, and they hated Grojband even more. Luckily, they let her stay because she and Corey's parents were close friends.

So more than often, Laney would try to get out of the house. Whether she was at the park, zoo, or even a shoe store, it didn't matter so long as she was away from their judgment. But most commonly, Laney found herself right next to her best friend's side, playing games and jamming out to their latest music.

As if her anger signaled the heavens, her phone buzzed on her counter. She picked it up and scanned the words.

_Mom made fresh cookies to celebrate you're pageant thing. You should get here quick, Kon's eaten half the plate already._

_!-.:TheRiff:.-!_

Laney smiled and shoved the phone her pocket. She snatched her bass from its position on her bed, and opened her door. She was greeted by her mother smiling unnaturally wide with a giant box in her hand.

"Laney-dear, I bought this for you, and you must try it on." She pushed Laney back into her room, and opened the box. From it she pulled a (how Laney could only describe as Barbie Sparkle Happy Nightmare) pink dress.

Laney gave a fake smile, "Mom, I appreciate this, but Core's mom made me some cookies to celebrate the pageant, and-"

"Wonderful!" He mother exclaimed, "You can wear it to Corey's house! I'm sure everyone there will love to see you out of your usual dark attire."

"But mom-"

"No buts. You're 15, and ready to wear cute things. I want you in this dress and at the Riffin household in no later than twenty minutes." Her mother shoved the dress in her face and left the room. Laney glared at the dress as if she could burn it with her eyes.

It was bad enough Corey and the band were coming to watch her perform at the pageant, but now she had to wear the disgusting, sparkle covered cloth in front of her crush and bandmates in addition to whatever horrid thing her mother made her wear to the pageant.

"I don't hear changing." Her mother called from the door. Laney sighed in defeat as she quickly changed into the dress. Surprisingly, it fit her like a glove, defining her figure which was usually hidden by her loose clothing, and complimented her her eyes nicely.

She still hated it. Not only was it pink, sparkly, itchy, and looked like a butterfly puked rainbows on her body, but it was also the complete opposite of who she was. It was who her parents wanted to be, and an embodiment of everything she liked to make fun of. It made her feel disgusted and self-loathing, but if it means her parents will never dress her up like a doll again for the rest of the summer, she'll bare with it.

So, with her teeth tightly clenched, Laney clutched her phone tightly in her hand and opened the door. Her mother's eyes lit up.

"Sweetie-kins, you look perfect! But those shoes need to be changed too. Combat boots and beautiful clothing do not mix."

"Mom, the shoes stay." Laney seethed.

"But Honey-"

"They stay!"

Her mother held her hands up in protest, "Fine, look like a hooligan in front of the public, but don't come crying to me when they point out you clash."

Laney rolled her eyes, strapped her bass around her body, and walked down the stairs with her mother close behind. Her father's eyes lit up.

"Look at my adorable baby girl." He rubbed her head, "You look so cute."

Laney's eye twitched, "It's not cute, Dad." Her father rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, sweetie. Try not to be out too late with Corey and your," He paused to cough out his disgust, "band, The Tromageband."

"Dad, it's Grojband."

"Sure it is, sweetie-kins!" He smiled an obviously fake smile. Laney took in a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, I'll be back before curfew." She mumbled and walked outside her door and grabbed her skateboard. Before her mother could protest, she took off down the sidewalk. She only lived two blocks away from the Riffin home, so she reached it fairly quick.

She stopped herself at the door. She was actually going ot do this, walk into a room full of her best friends and crush looking like something from a hideous Barbie make-over. Maybe she should go back? No, her parents would be even more on her case. She could just go to the park. No, even more people would see her there.

She clenched her mouth and eyes shut as she thought it over. Each idea seemed terrible, but she didn't know which one was the worst. She kept pondering over it when the door opened. In front of Laney stood a beautiful, thirty-seven year old, blue haired woman known as Jannet Riffin.

"Laney! It's nice to see you could make it." She exclaimed before noticing her clothing, "Oh my, did Wanda do this to you?"

Laney's eye twitched, "Yep."

"Come inside, dear. I'll give you some of Corey's old clothes to change into while your here. I'll put your bass and phone in the garage." Jannet laughed and pushed Laney inside, and took her items.

"Thanks, Mrs. Riffin. You're the best." Laney smiled. She always liked Corey's mom. Jannet actually understood her unlike her real parents.

"Obviously, I'm a Riffin." Jannet replied as she walked into another hallway. Laney awkwardly stood at the doorway shifting her weight, nervous Corey would see her.

As if the heavens wanted to spite her, Corey Riffin walked through the kitchen doorway, "Hey mom, did you say Lanes was-" He stopped as he looked his best friend, "Lanes, is that you?"

Laney rolled her eyes, but failed to stop her blush, "Yes, Core. Mom wanted me to dress all girly in this horrendous outfit when I came over."

"Oh, th-that must be terrible." Corey eyes shifted around the room as if he was avoiding her. Did she really look that bad?

"It is, and this isn't even the pageant dress! Man, I'm almost regretting this. I look awful." She groaned. Her family was bound to be the death of her.

"You don't look awful, Lanes. You just look different is all." He smiled awkwardly, "You look nice."

Laney smiled through her blush, "Thanks for the pity, Core, but I know how I look, and it is definitely not pretty."

Corey was about to object when his mother walked back from their storage closet holding one of Corey's old shirts and shorts in her arms.

"Here you go, Laney. You can change into these while you're here." She smiled as if Corey weren't in the room.

"Thanks, Mrs. Riffin. I know I've said before, but you rock!" Laney hugged the woman before carrying the clothes to the bathroom. As she walked away, Jannet put her hand on Corey's shoulder.

"She should just call me 'mom'. I mean, it's only a matter of time before she's my daughter-in-law anyway, right son?"

Corey's face flushed, "M-Mom!"

"What? I'm just saying." His mother laughed and walked back to the kitchen, "I'm going to get the last batch of cookies from the oven, dear. Have fun with you're girlfriend."

Corey stared at the ground, trying to stop the redness from reaching his face. His mother had always done this to him since he and Laney met in kindergarten. It hadn't really gotten to him until a few months ago. Now, his mother's teasing caused him to behave strangely around Laney.

He really hoped he wasn't starting to like her. He couldn't imagine liking someone who would never like you back. Not to mention she would leave the band and his side forever, and that was something he could not handle. If he lost Laney-

He shook the thought from his mind. No, he would not lose his best friend just because he thought that she was sweet, beautiful, cool, had killer skills on the bass, the most gorgeous hazel eyes that he could just lose himself in, a smile that could light up any room, and when she got mad she crinkled her nose in the cutest-

He caught himself and pushed the thought away. He placed his sweaty hands to his face and sighed, "This can not be happening to me." He mumbled.

"What's wrong, Core? You look kind of out of it" Laney came back, now wearing Corey's clothes from a year ago, a faded, black GB t-shirt and basketball shorts. A smile graced her lips after being able to take off the unappealing dress.

"It's nothing, Lanes. My mom saved you some cookies in the kitchen." Core quickly looked away from her. The mere thought of Laney wearing his clothing only made him blush harder. It was almost like they were married.

Laney shot the boy a confused glance, but walked to the kitchen. She stopped half-way when Corey wasn't following, "You coming, Core?"

"Y-Yeah, I just gotta…." He paused, "go to the bathroom!" He ran off into the hallway.

"Okay? It's official, he's cracked." Laney sighed and walked to the kitchen by herself, "Wonder what's up with him?"

Corey opened the bathroom door and splashed water on his face, "Cool it, Corey. You do not like Laney Penn. She is your best friend, and that's it. She'd never like you anyway. Deal with it." He told himself in the mirror. He re-opened the door and walked out, mentally preparing himself to see Laney again.

What he didn't see was Trina standing at the top of the staircase.

**OMG! TRINA'S AT IT AGAIN TRANSITION!**

"Hm, so fromaj band will be, like, uber killed if I crush Corey's dumb little heart and stuff? I can totes do that. MINA!" She paused, remembering that her faithful friend was not here at the moment.

She smirked, "Oh well, she's too weak for this job anyway. I can start up this mathematical formula all alone." Her phone buzzed, "Oooh, no way. Jessica and Chester! Oooo."

And so she walked away, typing on her phone as if it were her lifeline, but her wicked smile stayed at the thought of her soon to be heartbroken brother. She would just have to start her plan after Paris found out about Jessica dating her ex.


	2. Watergun Wars And Embarrassing Moms

**LET'S GO TO THE KITCHEN TRANSITION**

"Please, Mrs. Riff, just one more!" Kon begged.

Jannet pulled the platter of fresh cookies away from him, "No, you, Kin, and Corey have eaten three platters already. It's for Laney's pageant anyway! Let the poor girl have her cookies!"

Kon pouted as Kin patted his back, "It's for you're own good, man. Her cookies are filled with evil. Delicious, tempting, pure evil!"

Laney opened the door, "I smell cookies." She smiled and sat down at the table.

"Right you are, sweetie. I have a fresh platter for you." Jannet set the platter in front of Laney, "and don't let the boys eat it all. They're black holes, I swear."

Laney laughed and picked up a cookie, "Thanks, Mrs. Riffin."

"Call me mom." The woman laughed as she ran water to clean her utensils.

Laney dropped her cookie in shock, "Wh-What?"

"Nothing, sweetie. I'm just talking old-people nonsense again." Jannet continued to clean the dishes, "You look so cute with my son's clothes on. Much cuter than that Barbie girl outfit Wanda had you in."

Laney looked down at the table in a failed attempt to stop the bright red from covering her face. She didn't reply.

"Yeah, why are you in his clothes anyway?" Kin smirked.

Kon gasped, "Are you two, like, secretly married?"

"No!" Lenny yelled, "My mom had me dressed up in a horrendous pink dress, and Mrs. Riffin gave me clothes to change into. They just so happened to be Core's" Her blush got deeper.

"Why not Trina's?" Kin pressed.

"Too much pink." Laney and Jannet said at the same time. The three teens looked at the woman.

"What? I've known Laney since she was a child. She's basically my daughter. Oh, she and Corey took the cutest bubble baths together."

"Mrs. Riffin!"

"Mom!"

The two voices of Laney and Corey, who had walked in on the worst part, seemed to harmonize at they yelled at the woman. A scarlet red was washing over each of their faces.

Kin and Kon laughed, "Bubble baths?"

"We were 3!" Corey yelled, his blush not fading.

"You two are so adorbs!" Kon smiled.

"Sh-Shut up!" Corey and Laney yelled together.

Kin and Kon looked at eachother, "Synchronized too!"

Laney growled, "I'm going to turn you two into mush if you keep this up." She said threateningly. Kin and Kon hugged eachother in fear.

"Scary!" They yelled. Laney rolled her eyes and bit into a cookie. Her eyes lit up in delight, "These are great, Mrs. Riffin!"

Jannet smiled, "I made them the way you like them. Your pageant is the day tomorrow, and I want to make sure I get to treat you before those dummy bosses of mine call me out again."

Laney smiled as Corey sat down along with Kin and Kon. The four told stories, laughed, and chatted about summer plans for about thirty minutes until they got bored.

"Anyone up for a water gun war?" Corey smiled. His three companions nodded. Corey quickly ran off to find the weapons they needed.

"So," Kon leaned on the table and raised his eyebrows at Laney, "Bubble baths, huh?"

Kin leaned in with him, "The two of you, together?"

"MUSH!" Laney screeched and slammed her fists on the table. Both twins grabbed eachother and fell backward.

"I saw demons flash before my eyes." Kin muttered.

Corey burst back into the room, "I have our weapons of doom! What happened in here?"

Laney batted her eyelashes innocently, "Oh, nothing." She smiled.

"Something in your eye again, Lanes?" Corey asked.

"Nope, just trying to act like those girly people on television." Laney laughed.

"Silly, Lanes, you don't need to act like a girl." Corey chuckled, "Now, lets fill these babies up, and have some fun!"

Laney put on a fake smile, "Bring it on, Core!"

"YEAH!" Kin and Kon high-fived. Corey began filling up the guns with water.

"I am so gonna cream you guys!" He exclaimed.

"Not when our twin powers unite!" Kin and Kon fist bumped in mid-air as if it were supposed to activate something. Laney gave them a stare.

"It was super cool in our heads." They said. Laney rolled her eyes.

"You done yet, Core?"

"You bet, fella! Let's do this!" Corey yelled. Laney felt a pang in her heart, but smiled.

"I'm going to dominate."

"HA! We'll see if you can beat the king!" Corey smiled triumphantly while standing on a chair, and pretending he had a flowing cape and fancy crown on.

"Even the mighty fall, your highness." Laney said as pushed his arm gently, "And I've gotten much better at this."

Corey hopped down from his pedestal..er..chair and grabbed her shoulder, "So have I." He gave her a type of look she'd never seen before. He let go of her and grabbed the bucket full of water guns and water, "Lets go!"

Laney's heart beat was out of control. What was that? The way Corey looked at her was so.. No, she shouldn't get her hopes up. After all, he did just call her fella. He was just being competitive, she decided.

As she followed the gang, a hand stopped her. It was Jannet, "Don't blame him for all the stuff he does. He's not sure how to deal with love yet." She smiled.

Laney's eyes widened as her blush returned, "Mrs. Riffin!"

Jannet laughed as she pushed the girl out the kitchen door, "Go have fun, sweetie. Just remember my words."

Laney walked to the front door slowly. What had Corey's mother meant by that? Sure, she had teased the two of them for as long as she can remember, but she's never said anything like this before.

As she walked through the front door, her thoughts were interrupted by a cold sensation covering her body, "SURPRISE ATTACK!" The boys yelled as they dumped the bucket of water over her head. She growled and looked up at them.

"Sorry, Lanes. Slow-pokes get the bucket of doom!" Corey yelled, poking her nose at each sylybol of 'bucket of doom'. Laney ignored her fluttering heart, and reached for her water gun on the ground.

"This means war, boys." She muttered as she held it up as an officer in a movie would.

"Okay, guys, you know the rules. We each spread out over the front yard, and start when I yell 'go'. If you get shot, you are dead, no exceptions. Last one standing wins." Corey smirked, "Good luck to you all."

The group nodded and spread out. Laney hid behind a tree and waited for the signal. Her heart rate was getting higher as the competitive spirit filled her. She was going to win this water war to regain her dignity. She swiped her cheeks so that her running mascara looked more like war paint.

"GO!" Corey shouted. Laney's eyes narrowed as she peered around the tree to find her first victim. She spotted Kon crawling behind a bush.

_Perfect_ She thought as she silently crept up on her drummer friend. All was quiet as she reached the three-feet radius line of him. Quickly and accurately, she shot her gun, and rolled out of the way to cover.

Kin jumped out of nowhere and in front of his brother, "NO!" He yelled dramatically as he was hit by the water and fell to the ground.

"Kin, no!" Kon crouched by his brother's side.

"Kon, avenge me." Kin whispered as he closed his eyes. Kon stood up and glared at Laney's now standing form.

"You, You killed my brother!" He shouted, "Now I'll kill you!"

"Bring it on, Kon! You don't have the guts." Laney scoffed. Kon had just pointed his water weapon at her when another plastic gun, Corey's gun to be exact, was placed against his head.

"Sorry, Kon, it's nothing personal." He laughed as he pulled the trigger. Kon fell to the ground in slow motion.

"So, it's just the two of us, Core." Laney smiled, "You ready to die?"

"Ladies first, Lanes." Corey smirked. Laney felt her heart beat faster. Did she hear that right? Did Corey just call her a lady?

She snapped out of her daze when she noticed Corey was no longer standing there. Her eyes shifted around as she held her gun up securely. She listened for any sounds to clue her on his location, but all was still.

That was, until Corey jumped out from behind the tree she had once used for cover. She quickly spun around, but was toppled over by his force. He held himself above her and pointed the gun to her head.

"Ready to die, Lanes?" He smirked.

Laney gave him a confident stare as she pressed her gun to his chest, "After you, Core."

The two sat there in a stalemate for what seemed to be hours. Each of them were too caught up in the war game to notice the closeness of their bodies, or the questioning glances of people passing by.

Then, Laney saw something spark in his eyes, a kind of passion she had never seen from him before. The two of them slowly loosened their grips on their weapons as Corey ever so slowly dipped his head down. They were so close, she could feel his breath tickle her face. Everything seemed still and perfect. That was until a cold, electrifying sensation covered them. Corey flipped over and landed on his back in shock.

Standing over them with a now empty bucket was none other than Roger Riffin, Corey's father.

"Corey Dakota Riffin, if you're going to kiss a girl, you should ask her out first. I raised you better than this." He scolded, but the smile on his face told everyone he was just messing with his son.

"D-Dad! It wasn't like that I swear!" Corey screamed as he waved his hands around, his blush obvious to anyone in a two mile radius, "It was just a game!"

Laney turned scarlet as she looked down,_ So he didn't want to kiss me? I should've known._ She thought. Why would Corey want to kiss her anyway? He could have any girl in Peaceville, so why would he have to make a move on his best friend?

Roger turned his head to Laney, "This is just unacceptable. He should be punished. What do you think, young lady?"

Laney nervously smiled and grabbed her gun back, "I think he should.."

"DIE!" Both teens shot eachother with water at the same time. As the water came into contact with their faces, they fell down and laughed.

"How could you kill me, Lanes?" Corey faked coughed, still laughing.

Laney giggled, "But you shot me too, Core. I thought we were frien-" She pretended to pass out.

"How could it end like this?" Corey said before he too closed his eyes. They stayed in the silence for a few seconds before Corey popped his head back up, "Game Over!"

Laney chuckled and sat up, "That was fun, Core!" She laughed, choosing to ignore her beating heart's raging thumps. She decided it was best to forget about the almost kiss. Corey must have been out of it. After all, he did say it wasn't like that.

Roger chuckled and walked inside, "Don't get the furniture wet, kay?"

Kin and Kon walked over to the pair of soaking wet teens.

"So, which one of you lovebirds won?" Kon asked, only to be greeted by water being squirted in face via Laney's water gun.

"It was Laney." Kin said smartly, "Last one standing wins, and Laney was still standing after Corey's feet left the ground, so technically, she won."

Laney stood up and cheered, "Yes!"

The three boys looked at her, "I mean, whatever. It was just a kid's game." She looked away awkwardly.

"Don't be shy, Lanes." Corey stood up and gave her a nuggie, "You're a cute little guy when you get excited."

"Core." Laney grumbled, her face flushing at his use of the word 'cute'. He released her and laughed.

"Lanes and I need to get changed, and then we can start practice." He smiled before walking to his door.

Kin and Kon exchanged looks, "We'll be in the garage."

Laney followed Corey into the house, "Alright, Core, I need some more clothes."

"I got you covered, Lanes. Sit tight, I'll be back in a snap." Corey ran down the hallway to the storage closet.

Laney stood once again in the familiar spot. Her eyes shifted around until she spotted Trina coming down the stairs, chatting on her phone.

"Yeah, and I was like 'what? no way' but then Chester confirmed he thought Jessica was cuter than Paris. I know! And then I heard from Susan that Paris and Jessica got into it, but then Chester was like-" She saw Laney standing at the doorway, "I'll call you back, Patty. Loser alert at in front of me time." She closed her phone.

"EW! Did your face always look this gross?" She stuck a tongue out at Laney's makeup, "No wonder even my icky brother thinks your nasty."

She began to walk off when Laney stopped her, "What was that?"

"Oh, it's just that grody Corey thinks you look like garbage. I mean, he was ranting about it all last night on the phone to his long distance gf, Nancy."

Laney felt a crack in her heart form, "N-Nancy?"

"Yeah, they've been together and junk for, like, about a month. I mean, barf, who would think icky Corey is actually, like, cool or something?" Trina pretended to gag, "Well, I've got gossip to spread. See ya, racoon face." She walked away.

Laney stayed in the same formation as if she was frozen. Corey had a girlfriend all this time without telling her? He had been talking trash about her behind his back? He thought she was disgusting?

She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as she replayed the thoughts in her head, as if someone was slowly digging a knife into her chest. Tears cascaded their way down her pale face. She wanted to move, to run far, far away, but she had no where to go. At home she had her parents, who would just make her pain worse. In public, people would see her tears and her image would be destroyed.

So she stood there, like a complete idiot, fell to her knees, and cried her eyes out like a little girl.


	3. Misunderstandings and Planning

**THIS IS WICKED BAD TRANSITION**

Corey fumbled through the storage closet for a few minutes before caving, and going to his actual closet. He managed to find some basketball shorts and an old shirt he used to wear that read _'Riffin's Shirt'_. Deciding it was good enough, he stood up and walked into the hallway, and toward where he left Laney.

He was glad she didn't question his actions from before. He didn't know what came over him back then. It was like he hadn't had control of over his own body. She just looked so amazing, and they were so close. Before he knew what he was doing, he was close to kissing her.

His mind was brought out of its daze when he heard the sobbing of a girl. An adrenaline filled his mind as he dropped the clothes and ran to the source. What he saw broke his heart.

On the floor, crying her eyes out, was Laney Rose Penn, the only girl he ever really liked (not that he would ever admit it) Immediately, he ran to her and crouched down, wrapping his arms around her.

"Lanes, what's wrong?" He tried to get a good look at her face, but she pushed him away.

"Like you care." She seethed through her tears. Corey was shocked. What had caused Laney to act this way? She was fine just a minute ago, and now she was acting like someone had ripped heart out. He persistently held his arms tightly around the crying girl.

"What happened?"

She struggled, "Let me go, Corey."

He stared at her with wide eyes, "Corey? What happened to Core?"

"You lost when you didn't tell." Laney quit struggling, but refused to meet his gaze.

"Didn't tell what? I tell you everything, Lanes." Corey tightened his grip on her.

"Nancy."

"Nancy? Why do you want to know about Nancy?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"So it is true!" Laney beat on his chest, "You stupid idiot! Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"I did, remember? Nancy Riffin, my cousin, 3 year old toddler that lives with my grandparents in Arizona? Cute as a button, but I never get to see her?" Corey said, his grip only getting more secure as her struggles subsided.

"C-Cousin?" She stuttered, shocked out of her mind. She should have known Trina was lying to her. How could she have been so stupid as to believe someone who had always tried to ruin her life? Her weak shell only cracked more as she tightly hugged Corey back.

"I'm so sorry, Core! Please don't get mad at me." She screamed into his chest. If she was thinking correctly, she would have never done this. She wasn't supposed to be a weak little girl. She was supposed to be strong and sarcastic. Corey must think she's gone crazy.

"Shh, it's okay, Lanes. I'm not sure what's going on, but you've done nothing wrong. I'd never be mad at you." Corey said as Laney rested her head on his shoulder. She sat there sobbing onto him for a while until she finally managed to stop. Waves of darkness over took her numb body as it wished for sleep.

"You're the best, Core." She mumbled as she began to fall into a slumber. Even as Corey heard her slow, soft breaths, he didn't move. He wanted to stay like this forever, with Laney, his Lanes, in his arms. As he held her there, he thought of all the things he would never get the courage to say. She would never know how much he loved her, how much he wanted to stay with her, or how much he loved her hugs.

"It's not like she would like me back anyway." He mumbled, and somehow, through his thoughts, he too fell asleep.

**HOW DID NO ONE WALK IN ON THIS TRANSITION**

Kin and Kon grew tired of waiting for the two teens to change. It had been twenty minutes already. Where were they?

"I'm going to check on them." Kin sighed, greatly annoyed for having to wait so long.

"I'm with you, bro." Kon followed Kin up the stairs to the house entrance. As they pulled around the corner, they saw Corey's mother watching something at the entrance.

"Hey, Mrs. Riff watcha-" Kin and Kon were cut off by Jannet shooshing them. She signaled to a sleeping Laney on top of an almost asleep Corey.

"We kinda need them for band practice." Kin whispered.

"Do it later. No one is getting in the way of my baby boy falling in love with the girl of his dreams. I've got Roger out front, so no one's getting in on their moment. Not even you two. You can stay or go, but make sure you don't disturb them."

Kin and Kon nodded, snapping a few pictures with their phones. After saving the precious, potential black-mail, they walked back through the garage and onto the street.

"Wanna go play some video games?" Kon suggested.

Kin smiled, "You read my mind, dude."

**OVER-OBSESSIVE MOM TRANSITION**

Laney nudged her head into her pillow as she began to wake up. Her pillow seemed stiffer than usual. She attempted to move her arms, but they were restrained by…more arms? The events of falling asleep on Corey came back to her in a flash.

She mentally slapped herself, _Stupid! You worked so hard to form the image of the tough girl who could take anything! Now he thinks your an over emotional, bipolar person he can't be comfortable around! Great going, Laney! Why did you even listen to Trina? The bitch has never told you the truth before. Just because Core's involved doesn't mean you-_

Her self loathing mind was interrupted by Corey shifting around, "Lanes?"

Laney smiled awkwardly, "I'm right here, Core."

His grip on her tightened, "Lanes." He smiled.

"Core, are you dreaming?" Laney attempted to look at his face as best as she could without waking him up if was truly still in slumber. Sure enough, his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow.

Cute. She blushed. Despite their epic sleep-overs as kids, she had never seen him in such a blissful dream state like this. She closed her eyes as she heard him grunt and shift around.

"Just a dream." She heard him breathe, "Should've expected that. Still, it was a nice one. I wish it didn't have to end."

He tightened his grip on her ever so slightly. Laney couldn't stop her blush. What had he been dreaming of that had been so wonderful that involved her?

"Lanes, it's time to wake up, sleepy head." He shook her gently. Laney let her eyes flutter open, and leaned back to stretch.

"Core," She yawned, "If you don't keep this a secret, I will brutally murder you."

Corey cracked a bright smile, "I know, Lanes. Don't worry about it. Whatever had you upset isn't getting to you anymore, so you can be my happy Lanes again."

Laney quit breathing for a moment. Did she hear what she thought she heard? Did Corey Riffin just call her his Lanes? A bright red found its way to her face. No, she must have been imagining it. Corey would never say that.

"S-So, I think we still need to get changed. Our clothes are still a little wet, and it'll be uncomfortable to play in them." A twinge of color appeared on the young boy's face, hoping Laney had not caught his slip of the tongue. He quickly let her go, and stood up.

"Yeah, I'll go first. Where did you put my clothes?" Laney looked down at the hard wood floor, her own blush still not fading from view.

"I have them." Corey's mother pulled up, holding the clothes Corey had picked out, "I also put in some of Trina's clean undergarments in there. There is nothing worse than walking around wet underwear, trust me, I've been there. It was the summer of '99, I was bussing tables at the diner, and then a fireman burst in with a water hose, it was Roger, and then he just-"

"Mom, we don't need the details." Corey shivered at the thought of his parents' in their early years.

Jannet rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Here you go, sweetie, go change and fix yourself up. Corey, you change in your room."

Laney took the clothing and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. She looked at the clock to see it was 3:07. She and Corey had been sleeping for almost an hour! Her blush brightened as she walked into the bathroom.

She looked in the mirror and cringed. Trina was right about one thing, she did look terrible right now. He mascara had ran down her cheeks, and was spread all over her face, her eyes were puffy and disgusting, and her hair had started to curl from the water drying.

Sighing, she changed her clothing, and used Trina's make-up to fix herself up. It took her a while, but she had managed to get every stray mark of her dark eyeliner and mascara off her cheeks, and make herself look decent (although she had to lack eyeliner because Trina failed to have the right shade). Her hair still held a slight curl, but she left it as it was.

As she stepped out into the hallway, she met face to face with Corey, who looked as if he was about to knock on the door. He jumped back in surprise.

"Hey, Lanes." He smiled, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, "You were taking a while. Is everything okay?"

"I had to redo my make-up, Core. My face looked like a monster truck tire ran over it. Then I had to use your sister's make-up, and she doesn't even have the right shade, and my hair was just-"

She quit talking when Corey gave her nose tap, "You don't need to all that stuff, Lanes. You're naturally beautiful." He paused before catching himself, "BRO" He hit her shoulder playfully, inwardly scolding himself for slipping up again.

Laney blushed, "Thanks, Core." An awkward silence loomed in the air, "Uh, You wanna go practice for a bit?"

"Yeah, a good rock session is just what I need." Corey smiled as he walked toward the garage entrance. Laney awkwardly followed him. The silence made the thirty second walk seem like eternity, but as they entered the sanctuary of the garage, an imaginary weight was lifted from them.

Laney walked to the stage, and picked up her bass, "It feels so nice to hold Esmerelda again." She sighed as she strummed the strings and began tuning her bass.

Corey's smile became wider, "Esmerelda?"

"I can name my bass whatever I want, Core." Laney stuck her tongue out at him, "You have to have a name for your guitar too, right?"

"Yeah, I call her Laney." Corey laughed at Laney's shocked expression, "Just kidding, dude. Her real name is Rockella."

"Don't do that to me, Core. I was about to flip." Laney let out a tense breath and smiled, "Why Rockella anyway?"

"Because she does all the work like Cinderella, but she works in rock." Corey explained, "Why is your bass named Esmerelda?"

"I like the name. Esmerelda was a kind-hearted outcast who stood up for justice and right no matter the cost." Laney began strumming on her bass again, the sound soothing her rapidly running mind.

"So basically you as a Disney character?" Corey smiled and grabbed his guitar. He chuckled as Laney quit playing, "You have an awesome and righteous spirit, Lanes. You'd make a cute Disney princess. You know, as long as we take away the frilly outfits and fancy clothing. I don't see you in girly stuff."

Laney felt her heart stop before thumping uncontrollably. He did it again. He called her cute. Well, not officially, but it still made her heart flutter. She tightened her grip on her bass in an attempt to calm down. He was just being nice, she decided. He didn't mean it the way she took it. There was no need to get her hopes up only to be let down again.

"Thanks, Core." She smiled in his direction. He gave her a wide grin and pulled out his phone.

"I'll text Kin and Kon to come over, so we can practice. That way we can make up for your pageant tomorrow."

Laney groaned, "Please don't bring that up, Core. I'll get nightmares."

"Come on, Lanes. It'll keep your parents from downing the band, so it's worth it, right?" Corey snaked an arm around her shoulder.

Laney sighed, "Yeah, but that doesn't stop it from completely sucking. I'll just throw it by doing a puppet show for the talent portion."

Corey's eyes lit up, "Talent portion!?" He shook Laney's shoulders excitedly.

"Yeah, Core. It's where people do something their good at. Now shall we learn the alphabet too?" She rolled her eyes.

"No, Lanes, don't you see? If you sing for the talent portion, Grojband can be your backup, and then all the froo-froo, girly gals will be exposed to our music, creating a whole new list of fans!" Corey continued to shake her. Laney grabbed his hands.

"That would be great, Core." She smiled sarcastically, "If we had lyrics."

Corey waved a hand in the air, "Maybe we can get Trina to fall off her rocker by sending a love letter from her to Melmon."

"Core, a certain type of song is needed for this. Trina won't write blissful lyrics if Melmon chases her down the street with kisses, though that would be awesome to see." Laney carefully explained, "If we're going to do this, we need our own lyrics."

"We've done that plenty of times before, Lanes. It'll be a snap."

"Yeah, by actually having time to make you write down what you've learned, and make a good song. It takes us weeks to make good one, Core. We have one afternoon. One!"

"It'll be easier to come up with something if you guys write with me."

"Core, you just can't come up with a song randomly. It has to be from the heart." Laney growled. She truly didn't want to do this. What if she won? Her parents wouldn't stop pestering her with pageant applications.

"I'm sure we all have heartfelt thoughts inside of us. We can have band bonding time, spill our darkest secrets to eachother, and then turn it into a hit single."

"Core, it's more complicated than that. A single person has-" Laney was interrupted by the garage door opening. Kin and Kon ran in.

"HA!" Kin yelled through his quick breaths, "I beat you!"

"No fair, I had to open the door!" Kon yelled, also tired.

"You're just being a sore loser." Kin rolled his eyes. Kon angrily nudged his brother's arm.

"Nu-Uh"

"Yeah-Huh"

"Nu-Uh"

"Yeah-Huh"

"GUYS!" Laney yelled, "We were kind of in the middle of something."

"More cuddling?" Kon raised his eyebrows.

"No, we were-" Laney paused, "What did you just say?!"

The twins chuckled, "Well, we were trying to find you guys for band practice, and saw you two cuddling up like a newly wed couple. We were gonna wake you guys up, but Mrs. Riff told us not to interrupt true love!" Kon smiled.

Color blossomed onto the young, not yet a couple's, faces, "We're not in love!" The two shouted in sync.

Kin and Kon looked at eachother, "Synchronization again." They laughed.

"You two are idiots." Laney growled, but her stubborn blush stayed put.

"Yeah, guys, I would never date my best bro." Corey laughed. Laney felt her heart crack at his words, but nodded her head. As much as it hurt, she would have to accept that Corey didn't like her back.

"Anyways, I have a plan to make Grojband even more famous!" Corey pushed the awkward feeling in his stomach away, and replaced it with his growing excitement for the pageant.

"How?" The twins asked.

"We're gonna rock out at Lanes's pageant tomorrow!" He threw his fist in the air, waiting for cheers that never came, "No excitement, guys?"

Kin and Kon exchanged looks, "It's a beauty pageant, Corey. I thought we were done with those."

"Nope, Lanes will sing for her talent, and we'll play. She'll win for sure, and our fans will expand to the girly people world wide." Corey waved his hands in the air frantically.

"World wide?" Laney looked shocked.

"Duh, Mayor Mellow got the WWBPL, or World Wide Beauty Pageant League, to play it live all over the world!" Kon shouted happily.

"Did you not research your own pageant?" Kin asked.

"No, why did you?" Laney's shocked state had yet to cease.

"Trina entered last year when you had the flu," Kon said, "She scared away her competition though, so they just gave her the sash, and never aired it. She was awesome!"

The band gave him a look.

"You know, awesomely evil and gruesome and stuff." He said nervously. The band looked at one another with questioning expressions, but didn't press any further.

"That junk doesn't matter now. You'll be famous, Lanes!" Corey put an arm around the bassist, "And so will we!"

"No, no, no, no, no, I can not be on TV in something like that! I won't stand for it. I'm out!" Laney yelled as she pulled out of Corey's warm hold, "That many people will not hear me sing, and will definitely not see me in a frilly pink dress!"

Corey, Kin, and Kon put on their best puppy faces, "Please, Laney." The begged.

"No, I will not embarrass myself like that." Laney said stubbornly, doing her best to not look at Corey's adorable pout. Kin and Kon held their faces as Corey grabbed Laney's hand.

"What if I said I had a way to get you into a dress that didn't gross you out?" He smiled.

Laney quirked an eyebrow, "I'm listening."

"Gather around guys, I have a plan might just work." He pulled his band around him, whispering words secretively.

Laney smirked, "That could work, Core. I'm in."


	4. Her Secret Songs

**COREY'S GOT A PLAN TRANSITION**

"Phew, finally done. My fingers were about to fall off." Laney sighed as she rubbed her sore fingers together. After Corey ordered operation, 'Fool-Laney's-Rents-Into-A-Distraction-So-Laney-Ca n-Redesign-Her-Outfit-Choices-And-Then-Rock-Out', which she later deemed, 'Distract-The-Parents', on, they had to practice non-stop for hours. But finally, after so much time, they had their music part of the song and perfected it.

"I know, my poor drumsticks are almost on fire." Kon complained, throwing his smoking drumsticks into a glass of water (after which Laney swore a calming sigh echoed throughout the room)

"My keyboard was about to meltdown." Kin cracked his fingers, "but at least we sound good."

"Good? Kin, we rock!"Corey yelled, setting his beloved guitar down, "We're going to crush those beauty queens!"

Laney plopped down on the couch, "We still need lyrics, Core."

Corey looked down nervously, "Oh, yeah. Well, um, how about this." He walked up to the mic.

"Oh, yeah

Sittin' in the groj

playin' with my dudes

kinda feeling nervous

about my shoes

I ain't gotta plan

for the rest of this

but

comma comma

camel

hiss"

He smiled, proud of his work, "How about that?"

Kin grimaced, "Corey, that stinks more than Kon after the butt buster burrito supreme."

"And that is really bad!" Kon laughed at the fond memories of the lovely treat.

Corey frowned, "That's all I got."

Laney frowned at the sight of her crush feeling hopeless. Maybe she should…No, singing one of her songs wouldn't be right. This was more about the band than her. Besides, all of her songs focused around Corey. No way could she bring herself to sing that.

"Maybe there's still time to get Trina's diary?" Kon suggested.

"No, she left earlier for some kind of fanclub meeting." Corey muttered, "This stinks! I actually thought I could pull off writing a song without taking too long."

Laney felt her heart chip. Corey and the band worked so hard on the music. It wasn't right to let this fall into a failure. Her mind flew back and forth between the option of telling him she had a song or telling him that they should give up. When she looked at his depressed face again, she knew what was right thing to do.

She took in a deep breath, still not believing she was about to do this, "I think I have a way to fix this."

"How?" The three boys asked.

"I," She had to force herself to speak, "have a few songs written in a notebook at home. They're a little sappy and-"

She didn't get to finish as she was wrapped in a warm hug courtesy of Corey Riffin, "That's great, Lanes! Can you go get them?

"I'd have to sneak past my parents, but I can get it here within twenty minutes." Laney blushed at Corey's touch. He was so warm.

His grip on her tightened, "You're the best, Lanes!"

The twins soft laughter caused Corey to realize what he was doing. He quickly separated himself from the girl, and laughed it off. Mentally, he was choking himself for messing up again. It was bad enough for him to accept that he had a crush on her, but if Laney knew he liked her, she would defiantly leave the band, and he wouldn't be able to stand it. He would have to learn to control himself around her if wanted to keep his secret.

"Well, I better go fast. Dad should be at work, and mom is probably getting her hair done again." Laney smiled awkwardly, and ran out of the garage.

Kin and Kon pulled up on either side of Corey.

"So," Kin started

"How was the romantic cuddle?" Kon finished, "Was it as good as the bubble baths?"

Corey's face flushed, "Guys! Shut up!"

**COREY HAS A CUTE BLUSHY FACE TRANSITION**

Laney grabbed her skateboard and rode to her house with great speed. She couldn't believe she was actually going to this. If she did manage to pull off getting her notebook without being caught, she was still going to have to show the band the words she had written so closely to her heart. What if they laughed at her for it? After all, she never acted like one to write mushy love songs.

She growled as she pulled up to her house. Her mom's hot pink car told her that Wanda was still home. Carefully, Laney climbed the tree next to her window, and slipped in. She walked into her closet and pealed away the thick layer of clothing which was either too small or big to fit her, and pulled out a box. Quickly, she got the key from the battery compartment in her broken walkie talkie and unlocked the box, pulling the notebook out of it. Smiling in victory, she placed the items back in place and walked back to her window.

"I know, Denice. I hate to lose my hair appointment, but my girl is in a beauty pageant tomorrow and I want to look through my magazines again to make sure I get her the cutest dresses ever! I know! We just had to promise not to dress her up or try to talk her out of that icky band of hers. It'll be tough, but my baby girl being in a pageant is worth it. Finally, I can get her to wear something that won't make her look like a homeless person." Her mother's voice rang through the hall.

Laney quickly hid under her desk and listened to her mother's rambling from the other side of the door. She had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling at the bottle blonde, but managed to keep still.

Eventually, she heard her mother's clanking footsteps walk away, and she carefully climbed out the window, and climbed down the tree. She wasted no time riding her board back to Corey's. She walked through the open garage door to see Corey covering his face, and Kin and Kon laughing like idiots.

"What happened here?" She asked. Kin and Kon's laughter doubled.

"It was nothing at all!" Corey shouted, his blush reaching his ears.

"Mrs. Riff showed us a video-" Kon laughed.

"Of you and Corey as kids-" Kin continued.

"Getting married and kissing!" The shouted together.

Laney formed a blush almost worse than Corey's, "Core, why didn't you stop your mom?"

"I tried, but it was too late! She gave me the stare, Lanes, the stare!" Corey flailed his arms.

"Well, it's not like it means anything. We were kids."

"Kids who said and quoted, 'I wanna marry Laney someday. She's pretty and funny and sweet and always laughs at my jokes! I wanna protect her forever!' and 'I love Corey so much! He makes me laugh and keeps me safe from the scary people and he's cute and nice and I'm gonna marry him one day!' and then proceed to kiss don't just grow apart from their feelings." Kin laughed.

Laney's pink shade darkened, "We were stupid little kids. Everyone wanted to marry their best friend at that age."

"And you two clearly still want to marry eachother, so-" Kon raised his eyebrows.

"I will spill your guts out onto the floor. Do you want that to happen?" Laney growled fiercely. Kin and Kon backed away from her slowly.

"No, mam." They murmured, eyes closed in fright.

The dark aura dispersed from around her, "Good." She smiled, "I got the notebook by the way."

Corey had to restrain from hugging the girl, "That's great, bro! Dish us out some sweet lyric genius."

Laney's face twinged pink, "Well, they're not that good, and they're really cheesy, but they might work." She had to force herself to throw the notebook on the couch. As the three boys walked over to examine it, she looked at only the grey of the garage floor.

Seconds turned into agonizing hours in her mind. Her stomach was churning, and her face was blaring. One thousand questions ran through her head. Did they like it? Were they secretly laughing at her? Did their entire view of her change?

Corey glanced over in her direction, "You wrote these?"

"Yeah, we don't have to use them, but I thought we could use the-" Laney's embarrassed fumbling was interrupted by Corey's voice.

"They're awesome, Lanes, and these love songs will be perfect for this type of thing!" He smiled brightly, "I think we should use this one titled, "Lost In The Perfection"

"Okay." Laney's entire face lit up like a Christmas light. That certain song had been one of her most recent ones written about her troubles of confessing to Corey. For once, she was happy the boy was so oblivious.

Despite his bright smile, Corey felt like he was dying inside. She liked another guy so much that she wrote songs about him? His mind raced as he thought of who it might be. She only talked to a few guys outside of the band: Nick Mallory, Stevinson from math, Oliver from science, and occasionally she argued with Lenny.

Oh no, anyone but Lenny. He growled in his thoughts. He hated the sight of her with any other guy, but a Newman would be by far the worst.

"Dude, the inside of your head is angry again." Kin nudged his shoulders, "You jealous?"

"No way!" He shouted, catching Laney's attention once more, "We're only friends. Lanes can like whoever." He laughed dryly. Odd looks were exchanged by his bandmates before Corey walked up to the stage.

"Whatever, let's just practice some more with the lyrics." He grabbed his guitar. The band groaned but complied to his orders. Laney strapped on her bass, and adjusted the mic to her size. As the band played their respective parts, she opened her mouth to sing the words she knew by heart.

**—**  
**(A/N): Before anyone breathes fire, I know Larry's name is Larry. I just liked the idea of everyone calling him Lenny. Don't hate me :(**


	5. I Spy And Fashion Torture

**GOTTA SAVE THE SONG FOR LATER BECAUSE I CAN'T THINK OF GOOD LYRICS TRANSITION**

"…something red."

"Core, we're in a garage. Barely anything in here is red." Laney rolled her eyes, but her small smile was unmissable.

After another two hours of practicing and talking, Kin and Kon had to leave because of some special edition game update, leaving Corey and Laney alone in the garage to do whatever they wanted. So far, they had played cards, video games, ping pong, and even hop-skotch. Now, the pair found themselves playing a childish game of I spy.

"Then you better start guessing." Corey smirked. Although the depression of the girl he liked so much liking another guy still stirred within him, he was happy to spend some quality alone time with her. It reminded him of the time they spent together as kids.

"Fine," Laney giggled, "is it the carpet?"

"Nope."

"The crayon drawing little Suzan from down the road drew for us?"

"Nope."

"Is it the red of Kon's bandanna in our group picture?"

"Nope."

"The red on the flags?"

"Nu-uh"

"Any of the album art"

"Nada."

Laney growled, "What is it then?"

"You ready to give up?" Corey laughed and playfully tapped her nose.

"Fine, I give up. You get the point this round." Laney huffed. He had managed to stump her for the past five rounds.

Corey laughed, "It was your hair."

"Core, that doesn't count!"

"It was in the room."

"Fine," Laney grunted, "I spy something.." She glanced around the garage, "blue."

"My hair?" Corey asked, suspecting she was trying the same trick he had used.

She smirked, "Nope."

"The letters on your shirt?"

"Nu-Uh"

"The ocean in the background of our band's vacation picture?"

"Good guess, but wrong."

"The blue in the flags?"

"Not a chance."

"The album art?"

"Nope."

"Kin and Kon's jeans in the pictures?" Corey frowned in thought. This was getting difficult.

"Nada." Laney grinned, "Do you give?"

Corey desperately looked around the garage for something, but to no avail. With a final sigh, he gave up, "Fine, I give. What was it?"

"You're eyes." Laney giggled. It felt so good finally be the one who won a point.

"But Lanes! That's not right. I can't even see my eyes!"

"You could have used a mirror, and they were still in the room, Core. Match point goes to Laney." Laney laughed. Corey rolled his eyes, and wrapped the girl in nuggie.

"You think you're such a clever fella, huh?" He chuckled.

Laney let out another laugh along with a squeal, "Core!" She smiled.

They stopped their couple like actions when a flash brightened the room. At the top of the stairs stood Jannet Riffin holding a video camera and a regular digital camera.

"Oh, you two are just so cute." She cooed as she walked down the steps and to the young teens. She pressed the video camera in front of their red faces, "How does it feel to be in love?"

"Mom!"

"Mrs. Riffin!"

The woman laughed, "This is going in the romance file of Corey's video memories. You two are so adorable. Just grow up and get me grandkids already. I won't live forever, you know."

The teens's faces got even redder if it was possible. Jannet chuckled again, and ended her video-taking, "I hate to be the wet blanket on your burning romance, but it's time for Laney to suit up and go home."

Laney silently nodded and walked up the stairs. A she reached the door, Jannet yelled out, "And keep the underwear! Trina has way too many lace sets anyway!"

Laney's face darkened as she sprinted to find her dress. Corey's mother laughed as she looked at her blushing son, "What?"

Corey covered his face with his hands, "Why can't you be like normal moms?"

"Easy," Jannet smirked, "I'm a Riffin mom. Now, make sure to give Laney a proper goodbye before she goes, and make sure to get lots of rest. Laney's got a big day tommorow."

Corey smiled as he thought of his plan, "She sure does, mom. I wouldn't miss it."

"You're so cute." Jannet headlocked Corey and gave him a motherly nuggie.

"Mom." Corey laughed. His mother chuckled, and let go.

"Be up soon." She smiled as she walked up the stairs and exited.

Corey smiled. Even if his mother was a walking embarrassment machine, she was always fun to have around. He enjoyed it when his parents were home from their business trips. Ever since he was ten, his parents would leave months at a time for meetings in foreign countries.

It was lonely without them around, but he still had Laney and the band. Trina was there too, but she didn't count for much in keeping company. Still, he gave her props for writing killer lyrics. Grojband wouldn't have come this far if it weren't for her demonic diary entries.

With a happy sigh, Corey grabbed Laney's bass, traveled up the stairs, flicked the light off, and shut the door.

"Eeek, dark!" A voice screamed.

"MINA! Be quiet, and find that stupid notebook. If my genius plan didn't work, I'll have to try it another way, but I'm going to have to ruin their latest gig first."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Trina?" Mina managed to find the notebook in the darkness.

"Obviously. Now, tell your sister to fill out this application, and sew her some cute dresses too. It's a shame I'm passed the age to compete, but I can only present my old winner's sash to the best." Trina smiled a wickedly as her plan formed.

**SERIOUSLY? I THOUGHT THE NEWMANS WOULDN'T EVEN BE IN THIS TRANSITION**

"So all I do is dress up like some kind of bimbo, say I love world peace, and sing this song that stupid little geek wrote, and it will destroy Grojband's spirit?" Carrie asked her older sister. Currently, she was standing up as Mina measured her size for the dress.

"Yes, unfortunately." Mina mumbled as she wrote down the sizes carefully.

"Sweet, I'll crush them so hard." A dark smile lit her face as she dialed numbers on her cellphone. As it finished ringing, she spoke.

"Yeah, Larr, summon the girls. We are going to cream Grojband at a beauty pageant tomorrow. No, I'm going to be in it, and we'll play for talent. No, I have that covered. That too. Larr, quit worrying about the details and get the girls over here. I know it's late, but." She gave a frustrated sigh, "Fine, we'll start tomorrow at 6. That is not too early! Larr, don't argue with me. Good. I'll call you whenever I need something. I'll get my sleep, don't worry. Bye, Larr."

"Boyfriend troubles?" Mina giggled as she pulled out the silky blue fabric for Carrie's dress.

"Boyfriend? What-" Carrie eventually caught on and caught a heavy blush, "No way! He's a bandmate, sis, and a downright stubborn one at that."

Mina began drawing an outline to cut and chuckled, "Whatever you say, Carrie. Want to learn how to make an award winning dress?"

"Definitely." Carrie smiled as she helped Mina on the dress. It wasn't very often the two sisters spent time together with Trina barking orders at Mina, and Carrie's leadership over The Newmans. Even if this was for a terrible thing, Mina was glad she was able to spend some quality time with her sister.

**I'M SORRY FOR THAT LITTLE BIT OF SHIPPING. I SHOULD BE ASHAMED TRANSITION**

Laney was having such a blissful dream. She had told Corey all her feelings, and he returned them. He held her tightly in his arms, and as she looked up to meet his loving gaze, the two drew closer and closer. She closed her eyes and then..

"Laney Rose Penn! Get out of bed! It's already seven and you're pageant is in four hours! I want you to be in tip-top shape!" Her mother banged on her door. Laney tried to ignore her, but the pounding got louder. Finally, she snapped.

"I'm awake now! Happy!?" She threw her pillow at the door angrily. Leave it to her mother to interrupt at the best part.

"Extremely, dear. Now, shower up, make yourself presentable, and try on these dresses and gowns. I have to choose which one is for which event."

Laney rolled over and groaned, "I'll be out in a minute." Forcing herself to move, she grabbed her phone and texted Corey.

_It's time to start, Core. Pray for me, I'll trying on dresses for the next hour. :(_

_RockInMySoul_

As she stood up, and walked across the hall to brush her teeth, she received a reply.

_Consider it a go. In forty minutes, I'll send the acorn… and sorry for the torture, fella. I know how much you hate stuff like this._

_!-.:TheRiff:.-!_

She smiled at his message, and finished her mourning routine. Once she was clean and ready, Wanda wasted no time grabbing her, and pulling her into the master bedroom. Laney resisted the urge to scream and run away. Covering almost every object in sight were pink, sparkly dresses of all different shapes and sizes. Oh how she couldn't wait for the plan to start.

"This one first." Her smiled, shoving a small, pink, sequenced dress into Laney arms. Laney gave a sad pout, and waltzed into the bathroom. She forced herself to change, and cringed at the dress. It was extremely tight to the point she couldn't bend over, and even if she could, she's sure her hind end would be horribly exposed. Was this really what her mother thought was stylish?

As she walked out, her mother smiled and clapped her hands together, "Perfect for the casual competition."

"This is casual?" Laney struggled to breathe.

"Of course, dear. We're not heathans." He mother waved a hand, "Now for the other dresses I picked for casual! We can never be too sure when it comes to fashion, can we, dear?"

"Oh no.." Laney mumbled. This was going to be a long forty minutes.


	6. Making Outfits And Meeting The Enemy

**FEEL SORRY FOR LANEY TRANSITION**

"Mom, are we done yet?" Laney groaned. So far, she had tried on about twenty pink dresses, and each one made her want to set fire to her home. How long would it take for the torture to be over?

"Not even close, dear. We haven't even made it to the sweetie-pie dress."

"The what dress?"

"It doesn't matter, dear, just try the dresses on and let mommy worry about the rest." Her mother shoved another hot pink dress (this one poofy, reminding her of a muffin) into her arms, and shoved her back into the bathroom once again. Laney grabbed a towel, shoved her face in it and screamed. She would much rather be running through a field of thumbtacks right now.

Her eyes glanced up at the small container of bleach. Perhaps the horrendous dress wouldn't be so bad if it were a different color? Maybe she could use some… No. She stopped herself from recoloring the hideous item in her hand. She had to wait for Corey's plan, and lure her mother into a false sense of security.

Her hands shook with rage as she pulled the outfit over herself, and took one daring glance at the mirror. What she saw made her want to bash her face on the counter in shame.

She looked like a little girl straight out of the musicals where the magic fairy comes to grant her wish for a happy day. It didn't help that her hair had been terribly uncooperative this morning, and was now curling at the ends.

"This sucks." She seethed as she walked through the door. Her mother began praising it while she grinded her teeth to keep from snapping her sanity. Where in the world could Corey be? Surely it had been forty minutes already.

As if the world was finally ready to cut her a break, her mother's phone rang.

"Hello? Really?! Oh, but my daughter is in a pageant, and I just can't…How much?! I'm there!" Her mother bounced around the room like an excited little girl, "Sweetie, mommy was chosen to pick designer outfits for a foreign queen. It pays big bucks, and I can't miss it. I trust you'll choose what I circled in the magazines?"

Laney hid her smile and fake groaned, "Fine, mom. I'll do whatever."

"Good! I'll see you at the pageant, baby. Be good." Wanda placed a kiss on her daughter's head before exiting the room. When Laney heard the car start up, she eagerly ripped off the ugly dress, and replaced it with her more comfortable clothing.

She typed rapidly on her phone.

_Finally, Core. WHERE WERE YOU TEN MINUTES AGO!_

_RockInMySoul_

It buzzed again.

_Convincing Melmon to take fashion advice from your mom. Who knew the dude didn't want to be a princess?_

_.:!-TheRiffin-!:._

Laney smiled at the screen. Only Corey would think to do something like this. She typed in her reply before opening the bedroom door.

"Apology accepted?" A voice rang throughout her ears. Laney's eyes shot wide open at the sight of Corey Riffin standing in the doorway. She stumbled backward.

"What the hell, Core?" She hissed, "How did you get in?"

"You're dad's at work, and your mom left the door open. It wasn't that hard, Lanes. I took it as a, 'Come in, Corey. You're always welcome.'"

"Sure you did." Laney rolled her eyes, "Are we going shopping now, or what?"

Corey's eyes shifted to the ground, "About that.."

"Core, what did you do?" Laney's eye twitched, afraid of the news she was about to hear.

"We needed all the money to pay off your mom and Melmon. The bling is gonzo." He muttered. Laney felt her twig of hope snap. For once in her life, it was she who grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him.

"You did what?!" She screamed, "Core, I can't go out in these dresses! I won't!"

Corey chuckled at her reaction. This caused Laney to shake him more, "This isn't funny, Core!"

Corey gently grabbed her hands and pulled them down between them, "Lanes, Kin told me what we can do."

"And what is that?" Laney was skeptical about an idea from Kin's mind of all places.

"We just re-do what you have. Your mom ordered tons of this girly junk from all over, so we must be able to rip, tear, sew and color you some rad outfits."

Laney blinked in surprise, "That might just work!" She gave him a quick, in the moment hug, and walked to the pile of dresses she had discarded. What she didn't see was Corey's ever so slightly red face. She used his phrase.

He snapped himself out of it and continued, "He gave me a list of the categories: Casual, Glamour, Sweetie-Pie, Pajama, and Professional. Wow, we have a lot to cover."

"With all this junk my mom bought, I'm sure we can do it. Though the sewing will be a pain." Laney smiled as she picked up a random dress, "Let's get to work, Core."

**FASHION DESIGNER TRANSITION**

An hour later, the two were finally finished completely redisigning all of the horrendous pink dresses into dresses which were colorful in a different color scheme, and fit Laney's personality: Cool, a bit messy, and different from anything else. After which, they were placed into a large bag.

It was a fairly quick hour despite all of the work. Time flies when you have fun after all. The two had their fair share of pillow fights, sequence dance parties, and boa wars. What else could you expect of best friends?

"Sweet! We actually pulled it off!" Corey shouted with his fist pumping into the air.

"And awesomely too. I'll tear it up on stage wearing something I actually feel proud to wear." Laney held up their latest creation with pride, "I'm looking forward to this after all."

"Still going to throw it?"

Laney shook her head, "Maybe not. It'd be cool to see those beauty queens weep tears at my feet."

Corey gave her a high-five, "You'll crush them." Laney nodded, and check the wall clock.

"We should probably set up at the pageant with Kin and Kon."

"Yeah, maybe we can practice again." Corey stood up from his sitting position and brushed a few specks of sparkly sequence off of his shorts. Laney smiled and also stood. She walked through the door, and snatched her phone along with the giant bag of outfits. Corey followed closely behind as they walked.

"So, how's life?"

"It's fine, Core." Laney rolled her eyes at his lame attempt of small talk, "Were you're parents sent out again?"

Corey chuckled, "No, though their expecting to be called out any day now."

"That's a shame. Mrs. Riffin is the only adult I can really talk to." Laney sighed. She was just as close to Jannet and Roger as the children were.

Corey frowned, "Yeah, it sucks big time, but you'll always have me-" He stopped himself and coughed awkwardly,"the band, right?"

"Yeah, we have eachother's support. That's why we made it here." Laney smiled.

The rest of the walk to the pageant was all but quiet. The two talked about anything that came to mind, and playfully messed with eachother. Laney felt a warm sensation in her stomach. She loved spending time with Corey like this. Even it was just as friends, they could be together without awkwardness.

"So you really think I can win?" Laney asked suddenly as they finally reached the beauty pageant stage.

"Totally, Lanes. You're the prettiest girl I know." Corey smiled and hit her shoulder playfully, "bro."

Inside, the boy was once again hitting himself. How many times was he going to slip up, and how many more times was he going to keep using the same cover up? He was surprised Laney hadn't figured it out yet…surprised but thankful.

"Thanks, Core." Laney smiled through her blush. Corey was so kind to her today, more so than usual. Maybe he…No, she pushed her suspicions away, Corey was just being Corey.

They walked behind stage to meet Kin and Kon, "How goes the set up, guys?"

"We're almost done. The speakers just have to be set up. Did you two make the dresses?" Kin replied as he carefully set down a speaker with Kon.

"What else would be in this giant bag?" Laney held up the dresses. A dramatic gasp came from the twins.

"A BAG!" They screamed. Corey and Laney exchanged looks.

"Yeah." They said slowly. Kin snatched the bag from Laney and pulled all of the outfits. His eyes widened as her patted at them furiously. Kon screamed at the clothes.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked the two.

"I don't see what-" Laney started.

"You don't put a lot of clothes in a bag like this! It could cause them to wrinkle. Look at this pajama top! Look at it!" Kin exclaimed as he waved it in the air, "Here's the key to your dressing room. Hang these on proper hangers, and then we'll discuss your hair."

Corey and Laney nodded as they took the key and articles of clothing, and walked to the dressing room.

"What do you think that was about?" Corey asked.

"Kin can be an idiot. Today is just one of those days." Laney rolled her eyes as she found her specific room. She opened the door to find a plain room with a few clothing racks and hangers scattered around the beige carpet.

Laney smiled, "It's not pink. This is good." Corey walked inside and began hanging the clothing.

"You nervous?" He asked, raising playfully.

Laney scoffed, "I've played tons of gigs with the band in front of crowds. I can handle it."

"Even when your on television?"

"Even when I'm on television. I can't get camera shy when Grojband's going to be famous one day." She giggled as she slipped the last strap of clothing onto a hanger.

Corey sipped his way around to her and gave her a friendly nuggie, "That's the spirit, fella. You'll kill those foo-foo phonies."

"Thanks, Core." Laney blushed. Even though he used that dreaded nickname, the action made her heart beat faster. She couldn't recall a time when Corey had ever noticed what personal space was; it was a quirk she loved about him.

Corey let go and opened the door, "After you, Lanes." He mocked a butler.

"Why thank you, Core." Laney giggled as she walked through and re-locked the door, "How do you think Kin wants to do my hair?"

"He stayed up all last night reading fashion magazines. Whatever he decides should be good." Corey smiled.

"He better not do anything too drastic." Laney growled. Fashion magazines were the evil book of hell in her world.

Corey laughed, "You can be so cute when you're threatening people," he paused as color splashed on his face. Quickly he added," dude."

"Thanks, Core." Laney's face flushed. He called her cute again. Maybe he really did like her? She blinked slowly as she thought about it. It would make sense, but it had to be wrong. Corey would never like her. She was his best friend. He must be up to something else. Maybe he broke one of her strings, replaced it with a knock off, and was buttering her up for an apology?

The awkward air was interrupted by a snicker. The two teens looked over to see none other than Carrie Beff standing in front of them with Lenny Sill carrying a variety of dresses.


	7. Cat Fights And Close Calls

"So, Riffin, you finally decided to embrace your true self, huh? Or is it this ugly little boy that's entering?" Carrie smirked. Laney was about to snap at her when Corey stepped in.

"Back off, Beff! Lanes is going to cream you in this pageant. She's a million times prettier than you'll ever be." He seethed.

This time it was Lenny who jumped in, "Hey, Riffin. Back off yourself. No one in the world is more beautiful than Carrie."

"Please, Lanes is the prettiest girl in the entire universe, and way cuter than any Newman."

"Watch it, Riffin, I'm about to beat your ass." Lenny glared as he defensively put an arm in front of Carrie as if to shield her.

"I'll be the one to do the beating."

"Core!"

"Larr!"

The two girls stared down their respective men.

"I'll be disqualified if you get in a fight." Laney started.

"I appreciate you defending me, but I'm a big girl, and big girls-" Carrie turned to glare at Laney.

"Fight their own battles." The two shared a glare before looking away from their death match to grab hold of their partners.

"Come on, Larr. I need to find my dressing room. Dressing room 12, right?"

Laney spun around with wide eyes, "Room what?"

"Room 12. What's the big deal, boy?"

"Room 12 is my room." Laney glared at her, "If you touch anything in there, I swear I'll-"

"Relax, man. I don't need to cheat to beat you. Your ugly clothes will stay as they are." Carrie flipped her hair and walked away with Lenny close behind. Laney growled.

"I really hate her."

Corey placed a firm hand on her shoulder as they began to walk to the stage, " We all do, but all we have to do to break her is beat her in this pageant."

Laney looked up at him with nervous eyes, "You really think I can beat her, Core? As terrible as she is, Carrie actually has a figure and some hefty packages up there, both of which I lack big time. It'll be tough beating that."

"Lanes," Corey abruptly quit walking, "Do you really think any of that matters?"

"Doesn't it?" Laney quirked an eyebrow, "Half of Peaceville still confuses me for a dude, and no one likes to see a dude in a dress."

Corey moved so that he could look into her beautiful eyes. His grip tightened gently as his eyes became slightly softer, "Lanes, that doesn't matter. You are beautiful inside and out. You're eyes sparkle in the cutest way when you're excited, you get a fire in your soul when you're mad, and you make the cutest faces. You help people when they're down, and you'll never give up on someone until they reach their full potential. You're going to win, there's no way you can't."

Laney looked up the blue haired rockstar in shock. He really thought that of her? He really thought she was beautiful, that she could win?

She quit thinking when she saw that passionate spark, the same one from before, flash in his eyes. On a pure instinct of what stirred inside of him, he leaned down ever so slowly. The girl softly closed her eyes. Her heart beat was out of control as she felt his breath tickling her face. They were so close.

"Guys! We need to-" Kin's voice came through before pausing, "Oh, uh, never mind!" He ran away swiftly back to whence he came.

Instantly, Corey let go of Laney and put space between them, "I didn't mean to- I just sorta- Ah, uh, Kin!" He sputtered out before running off to where Kin had left.

Laney stood there in shock. He did it again. He willingly almost kissed her. Did he like her back? She wouldn't normally keep her hopes up, but Corey seemed to be acting so different. It wouldn't be so crazy of her to think he might have a crush on her after he nearly kissed her twice in the same week.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest at the thought. This was her chance. She could confess with no fears. She could finally say those five agonizing words, 'I love you, Corey Riffin.', without any doubt. All she needed was the right moment and-

"What's with the red face, dude?" A small laugh came from the end of the hall. The source was a smirking Carrie Beff, "Did someone tell you looked pretty? Sorry, but they were lying."

"Go away, Carrie. I don't want to deal with your-"

"Whatever, you ugly little boy. Is the director of the pageant around? He probably wants to talk to the winner."

Laney smirked, "I'll wave to you when we talk."

"HaHa," Carrie laughed dryly, "You think you and your evil band are just so great, don't you? Today is finally the day I can get back at you for all those years of humiliation and stealing gigs. Today is the finally the day I can crush you."

Laney quirked an eyebrow," Evil? We may have taken a few gigs from you guys, but that's what rivals do. You shouldn't have let it happen."

"You think I wanted to have my cake catch on fire, and destroy half of the buffet, or have all of our clothes be eaten by moths? It's not like we let anything happen. Grojband made all of those things happen behind our backs. The town may see you as good guys, but I know."

"I'm sorry we had to go overboard, but Core-"

"And he's the worst. You're stupid little boyfriend is the one making us seem terrible. He's the truly evil one." Carrie growled.

"Stop right there." Laney snapped, "Core is not evil. He's sweet, adorable, and a way cooler person than you'll ever be."

"Please, he's just like his sister, evil and manipulative." Carrie seethed.

Laney felt something inside of her snap. Comparing Corey to Trina? That was simply going to far. Without another thought on the matter, she smacked Carrie, the force turning her head to the side.

Carrie blinked, taking in what had just happened. Slowly, she turned her head back to face to Laney, "You wanna fight, bitch? Trust me, you won't win this war." She began to move for a simple attack when a pair of hands wrapped around her own. Her eyes lifted to see her best friend, Lenny.

"Stop it, Carr. You don't want this anymore than she does. Quit trying to act like a badass." Lenny tightened his hold of her hands.

"I'm not acting, Larr. She's from Grojband anyway, so-" She struggled against his grip, but to no avail.

"So nothing. No one is buying your front, Carr. Drop the act, and save the fights for the catwalk. I'm not letting you get hurt because you want to act tough."

"Who says I would get hurt? I could beat that-"

"Carr," Lenny sighed, placing one of his hands on her shoulder and looking deeply into her eyes, "You'll be disqualified if this continues."

Carrie stared at him for a few seconds before giving an angry huff, "Fine, Larr, you win, happy?"

"Good. Now you can apologize."

"Wha-but, Larr-" She protested, but Lenny's stare made her stop, "Fine, I'm sorry for acting bitchy. I'm just mad at your band, and your boyfriend's evil satan spawn of a sister."

Laney fought smile, "No problem. I'd be insanely mad if all of that happened to me, and trust me, we hate Trina more than you do."

"Hard to believe that." Carrie scoffed, "She slave drives my sister."

"By making her nearly destroy our gigs, and ruin our lives."

"True." Carrie pursed her lips, "I guess I can attempt to be nice to you for today, but I will destroy you on the catwalk."

Laney gave in and cracked a competitive smile, "I look forward to it."

Carrie gave her one last look before dragging Lenny in the other direction, "Come on, gal pal, I still need to get my jewelry from Kim's."

Lenny sighed in response, "Still a boy."

Laney smiled at the pair, and walked onto the stage. Maybe the Newmans weren't so bad? She scoffed at the thought. There was no possible way a Newman could be anything but bad. They were probably just stuffing her into a blanket of false security. Her best option was keeping her guard up.

Loud bursts of laughter interrupted her massive web of thoughts. Laney scanned the massive room she was in until she spotted none other than Corey Riffin being tortured by his twin bandmates in the gargantuan rows of viewing chairs.

Laney looked away from the scene before they noticed her stare. A bright red now colored her face as she remembered the almost kiss in front of Kin. She didn't know whether to bribe him into never telling, or bash his head in for interrupting the special moment.

It seemed every time Laney saw that passion in Corey's eyes and they were literally two centimeters away from a kiss, they were interrupted by the outside world. Just once she would like to have her princess moment, a moment where it was just her and her beloved prince charming sharing a blissful kiss of love and-

"Hey, Laney," Kon smirked as he glided his way over to her, "I hear you and Corey totes made out in the dressing rooms. That's so sweet. I mean, how much more adorbs can you two be without exploding or something?"

Laney's tranquil and loving mood turned to one shock and embarrassment, "What?! We did no such thing! It was just- I was- He kinda.." Her words faded off as she stared at the ground, her heart thumping loudly in her ears. She could barely make out any words, and what she could didn't help her situation.

Kin walked over to join in on her torture, "Laney and Corey sitting in a tree-"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" He and Kon sang. Laney felt an anger begin to bubble inside of her.

"Do you two idiots want to wear your instruments around your necks?" She seethed, "Because I'm about to assist you."

The twins replaced their giddy smiles with expressions of terror as they slowly back away from the red-head. Laney gave a frustrated sigh, and frowned.

"So are we gonna practice or what?"

"Great idea, Lanes!" Corey shouted eagerly as he ran onto the stage, grabbed his guitar, and plugged it up to the amp, "Let's practice until it's time for you to get on stage! Yeah, nothing else but practice."

Laney gave him a questioning glance before wordlessly strapping on her bass. Corey seemed weird suddenly. She wondered if it had to do with the almost kiss. She rolled her eyes at herself. Of course it was the kiss. There was nothing else it could be.

She smiled as she walked up to the microphone. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from her chest knowing he returned her feelings, and she could now sing her song with more force and confidence than ever before. Now, the only thing to do was plan her confession, to plan when she could finally say those five simple words that had haunted her for so long.

"Count us in, Kon." She smiled as she said the familiar words.


	8. Beginning The Pageant

**LOT'S OF PRACTICE TRANSITION**

"Do you think she bought it?" Carrie asked as she pulled Lenny around the corner.

The boy smirked, "There's no way she didn't. Your plans get better and sneakier each time."

"Thanks, Larr. I really put some thought into this one. There's no way I'm letting the dweebs of Grojband beat us this time." The blue-haired girl gave him a wide smile, subconciously tightening her grip on his hand.

The two looked down at their hands, and then at eachother. They stood there for a moment, doing nothing more than looking at one another. Carrie's bright smile was replaced by a flustered expression as she pulled her hand out of his.

"Let's get going to Kim's." She managed to sound cool as she turned the corner, and walked out of the bulding.

Lenny stood there for a moment, the embarrassment and shock of holding his crush's hand only now reaching him.

"Hurry up, gal pal. We don't have all day!" Carrie laughed as she waited for him.

"Y-Yeah, coming." Lenny smiled and caught up with her.

**WELL WASN'T THAT CUTE TRANSITION**

"Ow!"

"Sorry." Kin smiled as he curled Laney's hair, "You know what Fanto Felipemon says 'Beauty, she hurts like the passion of a thousand ex-wives, but in the end, you still look great.'"

The band shared a look of confusement as Kin finished the final curl, "Perfect!"

"I feel stupid." Laney huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

Kin and Kon smiled, "But you look fabulous!" They shouted.

Laney rolled her eyes, "You two are idiots."

"You do look good, Lanes. You'll knock 'em all dead when they see you." Corey smiled, but didn't meet her gaze.

"Core, you okay?" Laney gave a concerned look at the boy, "You've been acting way out of character."

Corey's arms jolted up, "Just fine, Lanes! You know what? I think I forgot my super lucky rubber ducky at home. I'll just-"

"No you didn't." Kon pulled out a rubber duck and squished it, "I have it right here."

"Duh, well, I," Cory stuttered, "Gotta use the bathroom. Too much fiber at the buffet table!"

"Core, wait." Laney snatched his hand before he could run off, "I wanna talk to you. You seem really nervous about things, and I wanna say that I've always really, really liked-"

"Pancakes? Me too! Sorry, Lanes, gotta fly!" Corey gave her no chance to speak as he zipped down the hallway.

Laney growled and kicked the wall. He had been acting like this since their moment earlier. First, it was non-stop practice. Then came the avoiding of all eye contact with her, and now he was just downright avoiding her.

She didn't know which she preferred: having him oblivious to her feelings, but still hang out with her, or know he liked her back, but barely look at her. It didn't take neurosurgeon to figure out that answer.

Kin and Kon exchanged laughs, "Well that was cute."

Laney shot them a glare, but before she could give them a piece of her mind, a tall woman walked up to them, "Laney Penn, you're on in one for casual."

Laney nodded at the woman, and gave one last look at the twins.

"You two got lucky." She growled as she took one final glance in the mirror. This outfit was by far was the easiest to come up with considering she had most of the supplies in her closet. She smiled a bit as she closely examined herself.

The small tears in her black skinny jeans were perfectly placed, and her simple, white Grojband tank under her grey half jacket complimented her figure without clashing her natural style. She had replaced her worn combat boots with a pair of newer, thinner ones. Her hair was left down, and a bit longer than usual (as Kin first straightened it for length, added a certain cream for nourishment, and curled what needed to be.) Soft yet messy curls cascaded their way down her shoulders, and her make up was done normally (aside from the clear lipgloss Kin forced her to apply.)

With a final spin, she decided she did look good. Hopefully, the crowd would think so too. She quit admiring herself when another figure pulled in behind her, and who else could it be other than long time rival, Carrie Beff.

Laney's eyes widened as she looked over her outfit.

Carrie took no part in hiding the goddess like figure she was blessed with. A blue tank was placed under a black vest-jacket. Her ripped denim shorts reached her knees only to be met by laced boots. Her hair was lacking it's usual beanie, and in it's stead was a personalized Newman's hairclip holding back part of her long bangs.

"Well, I guess the boy can be a girl." She smiled softly, "Good luck."

Laney smiled as her name was called, "Thanks."

"Watch out everyone; this rockstar can play almost any instrument in the book, is a black belt in karate, but has a soft spot for animals. Entree number 3, Laney Penn. Give it up for her, folks." The announcer called.

Laney walked to her ques and struck a few poses as she was taught. A surprising amount of people showed up to this event. Almost every seat was filled. Her mind couldn't help but wonder why so many people would come to a pageant of all things, but she had to focus on other things. She walked over to the man on stage.

"So Laney, your question of this round is, 'What is the most important thing in life?'."

Laney thought for a moment, and began to speak into the microphone, "Helping people be the best they can be. Whether it's just backing up their ideas, or pushing them to realize how amazing they really are. Being there for someone you care about is most definitely the best."

The man smiled, "Well isn't that sweet. Give her a hand folks."

The crowd cheered as Laney struck a few more poses, and proceeded to walk backstage. Kin and Kon greeted her with high-fives.

"You were a natural, Laney!" Kin yelled.

"Yeah, you looked so cool!" Kon shouted happily.

Laney let herself laugh, "As much as I deny it, I have pageant skills in my blood. Mom must be having a heart attack after seeing I didn't wear her tight, barbie girl dress Are you guys sure she can't get in?."

"Kon and I have an extra tight security block around all of the entrances not for entrees. Not even Trina's diary mode could break our system." Kin smirked as he and Kon fist-bumped.

"Sweet." Laney smiled as she glanced around, "Guys, where's Core?"

"He's right-" Kon turned around to an empty chair, "Uh, never mind."

"He watched you perform, but ran off during your entrance." Kin answered with a snicker, "He's been so jumpy since the kiss."

Laney groaned, "It wasn't kiss."

"Please," Kin scoffed, "I could barely see the space between your lips. There seemed to be a maximum of two millimeters between the two of you. Had I not been there, you two would have made out for hours because of all of the unspoken feelings you guys had."

"What do you mean unspoken feelings?" Laney rolled her eyes, "You're an idiot."

"An idiot who knows romance when he sees it." Kin smiled at her.

"Whatever."Laney smacked the back of his head, making a sound of pain escape from the boy, "I'm going to find Core. We really need to talk."

Kon stood beside her, "Nu-Uh, Little Missy, you have to get dressed for glamour. No time for cutesy confessions."

"But-"

"Trust us, Laney. We know how these things work. If you confess to him right now, you'll be gone for at least an hour. You have to be ready in twenty minutes. Put on your dress, and get ready for hair and jewelry. Kon can find Corey for you." Kin pushed her into her dressing room.

Laney shot him a glare, but complied, "Fine, but I won't enjoy it."

With that, she closed the door and changed into her glamour gown. After she had pulled the clothing over herself, she looked at the lighted mirror, her grip on the counter tightening.

"Dammit, Core." She whispered, "I finally get a chance with you, and you pull a stunt like this? We're going to talk tonight, and you're going to listen to me."

She turned on her heel, grabbed her shoes, and walked out to meet Kin and Kon for her styling time.

**—**

**(A.N.:) If anyone at all has a better design for their outfits, I would be ever so grateful (as you can see fashion is not my forte.)**


	9. The Grojfan

**DETERMINED LANEY TRANSITION**

"Done." Kin smiled as he slowly let go of Laney's carefully styled hair, "I gotta say, I'd make a great fashion director. Even better than Fanto if I made an access link between the fashion channel and my brain."

"Hey, if two dollars a day gets you there." Laney sighed, "Can I find Core now?"

"Nope. You're about to go on, and you need to be focused." Kin grinned, "Now, walk in the heels again. Your walk must be perfect."

"Kin, I've shown you my walk three times. I just want to talk to Core for a bit." Laney groaned.

"Not enough time." Kin shook his head.

"There's enough time left for me to grind your face into the wall." She seethed.

Kin gulped down a hard swallow and laughed nervously, "Well, I guess a little time wouldn't hurt."

"Good boy." Laney smirked as she patted the smaller twin on the head, and walked away. She took a glance at one of the many mirrors scattering the place, and could hardly tell if it was truly her in the mirror.

Kin made her look so sophisticated and elegant. Her hair was in firm curls decorating her shoulders while her sparkling diamond studs (borrowed from her mother) shimmered in the light. Her white trimmed black dress reached her knees and seemed to flow around her. Her makeup was neat, firm, and overall simply divine. Maybe Kin had a future in this after all.

Laney quit admiring herself when she caught glimpse of an orange beanie. Quickly, she turned around and searched the crowd. Although not many people were in the pageant, backstage was packed. Her eyes scanned through the mass array of models, guards, and stylists until she managed to find the boy she needed to speak with.

"Core!" She began to walk after him. It didn't take long for the agile girl to get a grasp on his arm, "Hey-"

She stopped when she that the person was, in fact, not Corey. The confused young man raised an eyebrow at her, but smiled anyway.

"Did you really think I was Corey Riffin?" He asked happily, "It took me forever to make this homemade beanie. Man, I'm glad it payed off."

"You're a Grojband fan?" Laney smiled. She loved meeting any of the band's fans. Although the band had gotten more popular in the last two years, it was rare she met fans who were excited to meet her.

The boys face became so active Laney almost thought he had to use the restroom,"Totally! I heard that their bassist Laney Penn is performing here tonight with the band. Man, it's going to be so cool!"

"Really? Where did you hear that?"

"Their keyboardist Kin bleated it out earlier. He says Laney has a real shot at winning this thing. I hope so. Laney is one chick that can rock out so hard!" He air-guitared, "Once I heard she and Grojband would be here, I had to buy a backstage pass. No way I would miss something this cool."

"So you know Laney Penn is a girl?" Laney smiled. It was nice to have a fan this cool to talk with.

"Yeah. I'm probably her biggest fan, but, wow, I feel for her."

"Why?"

"She can't see that Corey likes her back. Out of all the concerts, video documents, and pictures I've seen of them, it's pretty obvious they dig eachother."

Laney's face exploded with color, "Y-You really think that about me and Core?"

"No, I-" The boy started before pausing. His once firm jaw became slacken, "Wait, a-are you-"

"Entree 3, Laney Penn. Always pleased to meet a fan." She smiled as she shook the boy's hand. The Grojfan stood there with his shocked face for a moment before jumping in the air.

"No way!" He screamed, "You're usually like, woah, and now you're, like, wow."

Laney's hue only brightened as she stared at the ground, "Thanks. Kin makes sure I'm dressed to impress at every event. I hardly even recognized myself."

"If you look like this, Corey must be going wild." He smiled as he pulled out a small notepad, "Could you sign this for me?"

"N-No problem," Laney laughed nervously, "Who do I make it out to?"

"Derek." The boy smiled, "I still can't believe this is happening."

"Believe it, Der. We love to meet our fans." Laney made sure to call the boy a nickname. She found it made her fans happier.

The boy ignored the notepad as he hugged her, "This is the best day ever!" He screamed. Laney stiffened before hugging back awkwardly.

The hug turned brisk as a deep cough drew away Derek's attention. Standing there with a firm and furious glare stood Corey Riffin, his hero. Quickly, Derek peeled his arms off of Laney and cowered back. He never expected his hero to be so threatening.

"Core, I've been looking for you." Laney smiled, "Where have you been?"

"Fiber holds no pity, Lanes." Corey spoke, still not lifting his gaze from the boy, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Derek. He's a fan of ours." Laney smiled as she pointed at Derek's beanie, "Look at this detail, Core. I thought he was you."

Corey kept his firm glare on Derek as if he could destroy him with a simple stare, "Cool."

Laney quirked a brow at Corey's behavior, "Core, what's up?"

"Nothing."

Laney sighed, but knew she had to talk to him no matter his mood. At least it was better then his jumpy mood, "Whatever, Core. We need to talk." She grasped his hand.

Suddenly, Corey dropped his glare. "Wah? Uh, I think, uhmm…" He jumped, attempting to find an excuse to avoid confrontation.

"Laney Penn, you're on in one." The woman from passed by the pair.

Laney let out a deep sigh, "We'll talk later, Core. Der, feel free to find the others. Core's been out of it recently."

With that, she left the two boys alone, and walked to her position. She took a final glance in the mirror, and decided she still perfect. She sighed in relief; she had partially thought that the hug might have disheveled Kin's hard work, and the last thing she needed was him having a panic attack over her hair.

"Entree 3 once again, Laney Penn" Her name was called. Laney walked out as she had before, and struck her poses before walking to the announcer.

The man smiled, "So, Laney, your question is 'What is true love?'."

Laney's face became entirely red as she grabbed the mic from the man, "Well, true love is different for every person in the world, but to me true love is being able to be best friends with that special someone you can't get off of your mind. True love is being able to tell when they're lying, and they know when you're faking a smile. It's when they know you even more than you know yourself. True love is a magical thing that never fades."

"Wow." The announcer said as the crowd took on a awed silence. He took the mic, "Wasn't that amazing? Give her a hand, folks."

The crowd began cheering as Laney strutted her way back. She let out a deep breath as she made her way backstage. Her heart rate was out of control. It always made her nervous to talk about love; she was surprised she did that well.

"Good job." Rang a female voice. Laney looked over to see Carrie smiling uncharacteristically cheery. Laney almost fell over in shock. She had a LOT of competition.


	10. Rock Lore and Competition

Carrie looked like a movie star. Her hair was left straightened, but you could clearly see her dangling crystal earrings. Her makeup complimented her silky dark blue dress which dragged ever so slightly on the floor. Despite the loose, gorgeous fabric, the dress made her figure look heavenly. It was just over a hair tighter around her chest as the sparkly blue band just below her bust allowed the cloth beneath it to sway freely and elegantly across the rest of her body.

"Entree 4, Carrie Beff." The announcer called. Carrie straightened herself as her name was called.

"Wish me luck." She winked at the girl before strutting on stage. Unknown to everyone else, Carrie was laughing maniacally on the inside. Penn had no idea what she was about to go through once the next few rounds were over.

Laney found her hand shaking ever so slightly as she walked to meet Kin and Kon. She didn't know how, but something about how Carrie was acting made her feel intimidated, as if Carrie had a card up her sleeve for a guaranteed victory. She was acting far to innocent for a Newman. She must be up to something. There's no possible way she wasn't.

"What's wrong, girl?" Kon asked, "You rocked it out there. Left 'em wanting more just like we taught you."

Laney sighed, "The competition is a bit to much, Kon. Have you seen these girls? They're like goddesses of Rocklympus. I'm no match for that."

Kin and Kon gave one another excited looks, "Rock lore time!"

Kin began to speak, "There is old tale told in rock lore."

"About a contest held by one of the most powerful rock gods, Rockalous, to find the fairest and most rocking girl in all of Rocklympus to be his son's, Coremane, betrothothed." Kon continued.

"Every maiden in Rocklympus traveled to the contest, each a striking vision of beauty, but one was special. Lanently, daughter of the instrument god, Instrumous, was deeply in love with Cormane ever since she saw him play guitar as a child, and had secretly written many songs about him."

"When she heard the news, Lanently was struck with depression. Though she was twice as talented as any other goddess, she feared she was not able to match their beauty. Still, she packed up her instruments, songs, and all the courage she had, and traveled to the contest."

"When he saw her, Coremane instantly fell in love with Lanently. He longed to reach out and ask her name, but Rockalous would not allow it, for it was he who was to decide Coremane's future wife."

"But there was one other goddess named Carrine who had entered at the last moment. However, it was not because she wished for Coremane's heart. Her only desire was to beat any hope out of Lanently so that she could exact her revenge for years of not being as good as her."

"The contest started soon, and it was on fire. The competition was fierce, no godess held anything back, but Rockalous saw that his son held no interest for any of them other than Lanently."

"Then came the moment in which the goddesses would prove their skills of rock. However, none of them quite met the bar of Rockalous's level. But finally, after so much failure, it came down to the final two: Lanently and Carrine."

"Lanently planned to sing her heart out in a song she had written especially for Cormane. It was a beautiful song filled with passion and love, but that didn't last long. As Carrine went on stage to perform her song, Lanently heard her words flow from the evil witch's mouth."

"Cormane found himself impressed by the song. Impressed, but not in love. Seeing his surprised and admiring expression toward Carrine, Lanently began to lose hope. Her rival had won by using trickery and foul play. Surely she could not perform now, singing the same song Carrine had just sang."

"But Lanently loved Coremane too much to not fight for him. Quickly came up with a plan. She had-"

Kon was interrupted by the sound of Kin's beeping watch. A look of terror washed over the smaller twin's face as he gasped in horror, "Twenty minutes until show time! Laney, get dressed! Kon, sort the makeup!"

Laney pouted a small amount, "But what happened ne-"

"No time, woman!" Kin shouted, "Get into your sweetie-pie dress and prepare for your walk."

"What," Laney's eye twitched, "was that?"

Kin gulped and laughed nervously, "I mean, please oh wise and amazing one, can you get dressed into the next section's attire? Please.."

Laney smirked, "That's more like it. I'll be on my way now."

Now feeling a small amount better, Laney walked into her dressing room, and slipped on her dress. It just so happened to be the same one her mother had her try one before, but was now much better by her standards. The once pink fabric was bleached white, and had splashes of black paint near the ends. Small, delicate red hearts found there way around the bottom trim and a few scattered around the band of her dress.

She strapped on her red silhouettes, and put in her ruby heart earrings and matching necklace (which she had received on her thirteenth birthday, and had never worn until this moment). With a final nod of acceptance in the mirror, she left the room only to be met by a her roommate, Carrie Beff.

The blue haired girl smiled, "Laney, you look wonderful." Her voice glided.

"Thanks." Laney gave a fake smile as she sidestepped around Carrie, "You too."

"It's a good day to be hot, huh?" Carrie laughed. Laney had just made it out the door when Carrie's tone changed.

"Oh, and Laney," She smirked, "Good luck out there."

With that, she closed the door, leaving Laney to stand there in bewilderment. What had she meant by that? Whatever it was, it was surely not a simple good luck. There was something threatening in her voice, as if she coated it in acid and sharpened it into a knife.

Laney shuddered at the thought, but trudged on to where Kin and Kon were waiting for her. After all, what could Carrie possibly due to ruin all of her hard work?

She had just turned the corner when two pairs of hands pulled her down into a chair. She looked up to see Kin attacking her hair once more as Kon began cleansing her makeup to apply a fresh coat. Despite her low growl, she said nothing and let them torture her.

**GOTTA LOOK GOOD TRANSITION**

"Success!" Kin yelled as he hi-fived his brother, "In just ten short minutes, we made the ferocious Laney Penn look like a innocent little girl!"

Laney let her eyes, which had been closed due to need of red and black eyeshadow, open in surprise, "You what?!"

She hastily looked in the vanity mirror, and relaxed at her reflection. True, she did look much sweeter and (dare she say) adorable, but not to the point of nausea and self hatred. If anything, she looked like a daughter of a famous dress designer who liked to add classic tastes to their work. Then again, it may be her own taste in style affecting her opinion. Whatever the situation, it fit her much more than a powder puff pink girl who looked as if she just came from a giant bottle of pepto bismal.

"Laney, you're on." The woman called. Laney nodded, and walked into the line. She repeated the same steps and poses she now accustomed to. The announcer asked her a question, she answered, and went back stage once more.

Laney smirked as she walked back. This was so easy, it could get boring.

**SKIP ALL THE JUNK TRANSITION**

"Guys!" Laney shouted, "I look fine, back off. They're just pajamas."

Kin and Kon gasped, "Just pajamas?!"

"Yeah, I sleep in them. It doesn't matter."

Kin shook his head violently, "No, No, No, No, Missy. This outfit resembles how well you keep yourself during your slumber. It shows you care about how you look, not just how others see you."

"Whatever," Laney sighed, "have you seen Core yet. I'm getting impatient."

"He's probably hiding in the viewing room, but I think I should check the buffet again." Kon giggled. Laney rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll find him solo." She grumbled, taking an extra check to make sure she didn't look like an idiot. To her pleasure, this outfit was rather simple.

She and Core had taken yet another hot pink thing, this one a nightie, and dyed it black. On it, she sewed several small roses scattered all over. At the ends and on the straps, she embroidered dark green lace in the same pattern of white. The two colors met in the center, and twisted together to form a large flower in the form of the Grojband flame. To top off her look, her fuzzy black slippers now had Grojband's skulls on them, matching the sleeping mask keeping her disheveled hair at bay. In her arm was her beloved white unicorn, Mustang.

She smiled to herself as she searched for Corey. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, her trusted band leader could not be found unless he wished to reveal himself.

She jolted as a hand touched her shoulder. On impulse, she flipped her attacker over and struck a fighting pose. She dropped it, however, when she saw that it was only Derek.

"Wow," He muttered dreamily, "I just got my butt handed to me by Laney Penn. Best day ever."

Laney smiled apologetically and helped him up, "Sorry, Derek. You caught me by surprise."

"It's cool, Laney. I walked into it." He dusted his shorts off, "I wanted to wish you luck, but it looks like you won't need it looking like that."

"Thanks," Laney smiled, "Have you seen Core around."

"Not since earlier. He's much scarier than I imagined."

Laney let out a healthy laugh, "Core's not scary. He's just been acting weird because we almost-" She stopped herself, a sudden embarrassment forming in her.

"Almost what?"

Laney shook her head, "Nothing. I was just rambling. So you haven't seen him?"

"Nope, sorry." Derek shrugged, "I'll look around a little if you want me to."

"Thanks." Laney smiled as she saw the woman approach her. She held her hand up to the director.

"I know, I'm on." She smiled as she walked to her position. A calm glance behind her revealed Carrie Beff, wearing yet another outfit that made her seem perfect.

Her pajama tank was simple, white with the Newman's flame stamped everywhere while her pajama bottoms sported the feminine skull. Her sleeping mask read' Beff Is Best' while her white slippers remained plain.

"Well don't you look cute?" The blue haired rockstar said.

"Don't I always?" Laney began to strut down the catwalk with a calm confidence, hoping to have left her rival speechless. She flawlessly struck her poses and approached the man on stage.

"Well, Laney, I was going to ask you this card question, but I'd rather ask 'Why does such a tough girl have a unicorn pet for sleepytime pal?'."

Laney smirked, knowing the man meant to stump her. Instead of looking like an idiot, she grabbed the mic, "Mustang has been with me through everything since I was a little girl. He's a tough unicorn who can get me through anything, so why wouldn't I bring him to my first big pageant?"

The crowd awwed as Laney handed the man back his mic, snuggled with Mustang for a few pictures, and strutted backstage.

"Have fun." She smiled at Carrie before returning to Kin and Kon, who each were a bit shocked.

"What?"

"We just never expected you to be so-" Kin started

"good at this." Kon finished.

Laney smiled and snuggled her unicorn again, "So the world knows I have a stuffed unicorn. That's nothing compared to the dresses I could have worn today."

Kin and Kon nodded, "One more round until the talent show. Time to get professional, Laney."

"I'm on it, guys." Laney walked away, "But please find Core. I really need his comfort right now."

"You don't look like it."

"That's because I have Mustang." Laney held up the stuffed toy, "Trust me, when he leaves my hands, I'll be back to nervous."

She turned on her heel, and walked into her dressing room, locking it tightly, and sliding down the door slowly. She pressed her face into her unicorn and sighed.

"One more round, girl." She told herself, "Then you can get him."


	11. The Song Thief

**WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CATEGORIES TRANSITION**

"You still haven't found him?" She seethed as Kin clipped the final hairpin into her hair.

Kon shrinked back, "I'm sorry. I thought I had him, but it was just Derek. Then when I actually got him, he slipped away."

Laney pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm herself down, "Fine. You tried, Kon. Just, make sure he knows our entire gig is killed if he doesn't show up."

"Well it isn't the gig he's avoiding." Kin rolled his eyes. Laney shot him a glare.

He held his hands up defensively, "Sorry. I'll see if I can find him when you're on stage. He's more vulnerable then."

"Yeah!" Kon smiled, "Besides, Corey would never miss a gig. Even years of unanswered romance and teen angst smothering over his own feelings can't keep him away."

Laney found a light blush gracing her cheeks as she stood from her chair, and examined herself closely, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I wanted to talk to him before them. It's killing me." She pouted as she pulled down the hem of her black skirt.

Her outfit was amazing to say the least. Though it had taken extra time, Corey insisted on dying the white dress skirt black so that he could paint a decorative line and flame pattern in her favorite shade of green. The jacket remained white with the same designs while her snug undershirt remained plain green. A loose, customized GB tie was sorted neatly and draped halfway down her torso.

"Don't focus on your ever so depressing love life." Kin smiled, "Think about driving the Newmans into the dirt with pure talent."

Laney smirked at the thought of a defeated Newman, "Alright, I'll do my best."

"Laney," The woman walked by without stopping, "you're on."

Laney straightened her posture, and walked away from the twins, "Core better be here when I return if you wish to keep the perfect tone of your non-bruised skin."

She smirked, practically smelling the fear and urgency radiating from them, and walked to her post once again. She felt the presence of Carrie pull up behind her, but took not so much as a glance at the girl. She clenched her fist and walked out onto stage.

Despite everything else, she still felt nervous (even more so without Mustang by her side) about Carrie. It was about something more than her perfect looks and amazing clothes. She couldn't help but feel Carrie still had a way to beat her in this pageant even without her pageant material figure. It made her want to scream in frustration, but for once in her life she. Laney Penn, was nearing a trembling nervousness over a hunch about a Newman in a beauty pageant of all things. At this rate, she might as well buy beach blonde hair dye and become her mother.

Laney inwardly shuddered. No, that was not going to happen. Not today, not ever. She walked on stage, hiding her nervousness with an expertise one could only inherit. The man put on his seemingly always fake smile.

"Laney, your final question is 'What is the meaning of life?'."

Laney resisted the urge to say 'The meaning of life is to quit wasting time on these stupid pageants and start working and getting dirty for a change.' and spoke much softer words.

"The meaning of life is different to every person alive. For some, it's being the best they can be. For other, it's finding their true love and never letting go. And for some it could be as simple waking up in the morning being happy with the way they are. But for me, I've yet to find the true meaning of my life, but I'll keep living until I do, and even then I'll keep going farther." She took in a deep breath after her somewhat dragged out speech, and smiled at the crowd and struck her desired poses.

She flicked her hair in (what a only a person with a death wish would call) a diva like way, and walked back to her friends. Well, where they should have been. The twins were now gone without a trace. Great, she went from three, to two, to none of her bandmates.

She rolled her eyes and walked through the crowd of nervous teenage girls, cranky stylists, bored bodyguards, and backstage members. Slowly, she started searching. As she slid her way across the floor and around the many people, she didn't see a single one of her band amigos. She checked the buffet table, but Kon wasn't there. She tried the makeup tables where almost stylists met, but Kin wasn't there chatting it up with his so called equivalents.

Groaning in frustration, she stomped her way back into her dressing room. She didn't have time for them to go missing. She would just have to change into her last outfit for the night, and prepare for the gig.

She swung the door open and slammed it shut. Judging from the moved hangers, and discarded clothing, Carrie had already changed. Laney locked the door with a swift flick, and pealed off her stylish suit. In its stead, she placed on a simple black GB tank and red skinnies. She pulled on her precious converse (painted and sharpied with every symbol the band ever had) and put in her bass earring and necklace set (her most prized jewelry given to her by Corey).

She stared at her reflection, and attempted to drop her scowl. She felt so stirred up inside, emotions of fear, love, anxiousness, nervousness, and relief washed in and out of her system. Glancing at the clock, she found she had fifteen minutes before the start of the next and final act, the talent portion.

With a final thought, she found a napkin and a pen, and started writing.

**IT MAY NOT BE DIARY MODE BUT IT WORKS TRANSITION**

"Laney!" Kin shook the girl violently, "where were you?!"

"Doing things." Laney rolled her eyes at the hyper active boy. Usually it would be her crush to do this, but she couldn't always be as lucky. She glanced around the area, noticing a lack of Corey Riffin, "Where's Core?"

"Kon has him." Kin shoved her in a chair, and began combing her hair, "So little time!"

Quickly and with an expert hand, Kin completed his work, a simple hairdo only a bit longer than Laney usually kept it, and fairly simple makeup. He jumped up in glee and set down his tools.

"Perfection!" he yelled, "You're ready! Are you feeling up for the song?"

Laney grinned softly. After writing down her feelings on an old napkin, she felt refreshed and ready to take on the world, "Yep. All I need now are Kon and Core."

"It would be too risky to have Corey around you until it's time to perform. We can't have him run off again."

Laney laughed, "It's not like the mere sight of me drives him away."

Kin kept his serious look. Laney frowned and hit his shoulder without saying another word.

"Girls!" The stage director called, "Time to line up, ladies. You know the drill. It's just like practice."

The red head stood up, "Well, that's my que. Get the guys set up, and don't do anything stupid because I'm not there."

Kin opened his mouth to speak, but Laney interrupted.

"Including laser alien fights."

Kin frowned, but nodded as he walked away from her.

"Thanks." Laney called to him before taking her spot in line.

It was a fairly simple process for this round. The girls were to parade themselves down the stage to show off their outfits (specially formulated from their talents) in a spectacular dance routine, and stand in a line. Instead of the usual question, the girls would be asked their talent. Once that was done, the six contestants would perform in reverse order. After performing, the girl was to proceed backstage until further notice.

The music and incredibly cheesy singing started to play as the girls walked on stage, waving and striking each dance move with poise and persision timing. Laney restricted the urge to roll her eyes as she walked up the conga line and spoke "Laney" with a wink into the mic.

Oh yes, she would hate herself for that later.

The rest of the routine was rather painless, and the girls lined up behind stage. Laney listened to the man speak, "Now, the girls will perform in reverse order. Please welcome, entree 12, Madaline Donald, and her sock puppets of reckoning!"

Laney quirked a brow as the girl ran on stage, but said nothing.

**SOCK PUPPETS CAN RECKON TOO TRANSITION**

"And now, entree 4, Carrie Beff singing with her band, The Newmans." The man smiled. Before Carrie went on, she turned her head to wink at her competition, her smirk giving Laney back her ominous feelings.

Laney watched nervously as the Newman's plugged in their final cords to the amps, and began playing. She almost relaxed until she heard the words leave Carrie's mouth, her words to be exact.


	12. Singing Songs And Wrapping It Up

_His smile drive me crazy_

_but he'll never know_

Laney felt her fist clench as she fought back panic. That was her song, her personal feelings poored out onto paper in the form of words. Stealing it was low, even for Carrie, but that wasn't the problem now. She had to find a new song and fast. Otherwise she would be disqualified for sure, making Grojband look like a pile of untalented leaches while she did so. She needed a plan, and she needed it fast.

_I love it when he hugs me_

_in the winter snow_

_His laugh is like music_

_to my bruised ears_

_And when he's sad_

_he'll let me_

_dry his tea-rs_

_He's beautiful, _

_perfect, and more_

_Everything he does_

_I simply adore_

_His crazy schemes_

_His bright smile_

_The way he looks at me_

_makes me want go wild_

_I'm lost in the perfection_

_of this perfect bo-y_

_His eyes_

_his hair_

_his style_

_his personality-_

_Everything about him_

_drives me absolutely crazy_

_I'm lost in his perfection_

_my judgment's getting hazy_

"Lanes!" Corey seemed to attack her from nowhere, and proceeded to shake the small girl's shoulders, "That's your song!"

Laney grabbed his shoulder and shook him back, letting her panic roam free, "I know!"

"What are we gonna do?!"

"You're the plan guy!" Laney shouted and shook him harder, "Think, Core!"

Corey screamed in frustration and took in a deep breath. His eyes glanced down to his hands, and he briskly removed them, his face twinging red. Quickly, he sorted through his messy thought for an idea.

_Well, he's not running away at least._ Laney thought as she looked at his thinking form. Even though it was under the worst possible circumstances, she was happy to have her normal Core back even for just a few minutes.

Kin and Kon intruded on the scene, panting heavily, "Laney-" Kon inhaled.

"We lost-" Kin wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Corey?" The said union, "How did…"

"No time!" Corey screamed, "That thieving witch stole Lanes's song! We have to fix it." He grabbed the twins and shook them, "NOW!"

Kin looked up at the ceiling of back stage, "Hmm…"

_When we dance in the rain_

_cause we just don't care_

_When we jam out anywhere_

_When he lifts me up_

_spins me around_

_When he hugs me_

_and I can't reach the ground_

_It's wonderful_

_It's beautiful_

_It's perfect_

_When he compliments me on my style_

_doesn't mind if I stay here a while_

_I'll laugh to his lame jokes_

_he'll tell me I'm the best_

_And when I'm tired_

_I can lay on his shoulder and rest_

"No." Laney groaned, "That won't work either."

Kin and Kon frowned angrily, "You just don't wanna accept the coolness."

"Or maybe its the part where we can't vaporize Carrie, and if we did, we'd be arrested." Laney clenched a small fist. Her temper was raging by now. So much, in fact, she had to resist the urge to stomp on stage and shove that mic down Carrie's throat.

"Guys," Corey intruded, "We don't need to fight ourselves. This isn't Rocklympus."

Laney's face lit up, "That's it! How did Lanently win against Carrine when this happened to her?"

"Who in the what now?" Corey quirked a brow, but was ignored by his band.

Kon smiled, "Lanently knew that without an even better song than the one Carrine stole, she would lose the boy she loved forever, so she thought back to her many songs she had written for him, but only one truly trumped it."

"And what was it?"

"A song that plainly told Coremane she was in love with him, but with a catchy beat and awesome words." Kin answered. Laney nodded and thought.

Corey didn't give her time to think as he asked, "How about you sing a different song Lanes? Do you have any memorized?"

"Well…." Laney's angry flush turned flustered. She did have one song memorized completely, but it was the one she had written in the dressing room. Normally, she would be able to sing it, but this one was a bit more embarrassing, as it literally addressed Corey in the song. Yes, she planned to confess to the boy, but not in this way.

"Lanes," Corey looked into her eyes with a serious yet gentle look, "Do you have one?"

_His eyes_

_his hair_

_his style_

_his personality-_

_It's all so perfect_

_as far as I can see_

_I'm lost in this world of his perfection_

_And I'll never find my way out_

_But so long as I see the light_

_of his beautiful, gorgeous, twinkling eyes_

_I'll be okay._

_I still can't believe I fell in love_

_so hopelessly with him_

_He may not see it_

_but that's just fine_

_He doesn't need to know_

_until it's ti-me_

_Until then I'll be here_

_lost in his perfection_

_Almost like I'm living in_

_a different dimension_

_But as long as I'm here with him_

_it'll be just great_

_I'm free from the pressure_

_the hurt and the hate_

"Fine." Laney grumbled at the three boys towering over her, "I'll sing it, just stop it with he faces. The male members of Grojband high-fived quickly, and Corey gave her a nuggie just like old times.

"You're going to do great, Lanes." He smiled, making his blush look even cuter to the girl. Laney felt her face heat up. That was, until a loud gasp burst through their bubble of fantasy.

"NO!" Kin screamed as he pushed Corey away and whipped out a brush, fixing Laney's hair, "That was the perfect style for her outfit, you monster!"

Laney sighed and let the obsessive boy fix her hair. She should really rethink her friends.

_he relieves me of my fears_

_makes me look forward something new_

_inside my mind saying_

_Perfect guy, I love you_

_His eyes_

_his hair_

_his style_

_his personality-_

_Every piece of him is perfect _

_perfect to me-_

_He may never know it_

_I may never show it_

_But I'll be okay_

_as long as he's still he-re_

_He's so beautiful, wonderful, and oh so much more (much more)_

_the perfection he holds goes far beyond anything I've seen_

_I'm lost in this perfection_

_But I guess that's okay_

_If I can still be with you_

_like any other day_

Carrie took in a deep breath and bowed at the crowd. Her band quickly got their instruments and left the stage, posing for a few photos before they left completely. The Newman leader looked at Grojband, and gave them a mocking wink as she strutted to her friends on the other side of the stage.

"And now," The announcer spoke from his corner stage position, "We have entree 3, Laney Penn who is also singing with her band Grojband."

Laney felt a mixture of anger and nervousness bubble inside of her as she placed a fake smile on and walked on the stage. She plugged in her bass as her bandmates did the same with their instruments. She walked up to her mic, and plucked it out of its clasp.

"Well, we had a little change in plans, but here it goes." She smiled nervously, "Count us in Kon."

Kon clapped together his drumsticks, "1, 2, 3, 4!"

Laney opened her mouth to sing the words she'd never thought she'd sing to a crowd this large.

_Here I am_

_Once again_

_stuttering these stupid words_

_can't say it to you_

_or to anyone else_

_have to keep it to myself_

_But in my dreams_

_These five simple words aren't hard to say_

_I'll love you forever, always_

_You're perfect in my eyes_

_you brighten up my day_

_and that will always stay_

_You pick me up_

_when I fall_

_I don't feel pain at all_

_You keep me safe_

_when it's dark_

_you warm up my heart_

_Yet I can't say it_

_Five simple words_

_to say to you_

_I try but clam up_

_and can't say the truth_

_I'll love you from now until forever_

_even if we can't be together_

_It should be easy_

_to make myself say it_

_but your smile makes my knees buckle_

_and I can't get it straight_

_Why do you_

_have to make it so hard_

_to be_

_in love with you_

_I tried so hard_

_to get you to say it first_

_after we got through the worst_

_but you never showed it back_

_and I couldn't take that_

_but then you looked at me_

_and now I see-e_

_You always liked me too_

_I'm just so blind its true_

_I was a coward in the dark_

_keeping her lonely heart_

_from the guy_

_she loved_

_the one she dreams of_

_But now, it's changed._

_I-I'm gonna say it._

_I know you feel the same,_

_so boy, you're gonna get it_

_I'm finally gonna say_

_what's on my mind_

_I've been in love with you from day one_

_you always kept me smiling_

_having so much fun_

_I kept falling more _

_and more_

_and more_

_in love with you_

_as the days went o-on_

_Now here we are_

_we came all this way_

_through the hate_

_the smoke_

_the fire_

_and the pa-ain_

_So now I'm gonna say_

_don't you interrupt_

_I have to tell it_

_How badly I'm in love with you_

_Five simple words_

_to say to you_

_finally gonna pull through_

_Time to confess_

_I-I'm gonna say it_

_These five words I've always written_

_I love you, Corey Riffin._

She finished her song with a few huffs. The crowd went crazy, but soon went into a hushed silence as Corey grabbed Laney's hand. They watched in an anticipated silence.

Corey gently looked into his crush's eyes, making sure he had heard the song right. Was it possible that she liked him back? Was he really so fortunate as to have a mutual relationship with her? Were feelings not unrequited? So many questions ran through his head.

"Lanes, I-" His words and his mind were silenced by the warm feeling of Laney's lips formed against his own. Corey let his mind slip away as he returned it. Each of them poored the months and years of hidden emotion and passion into it.

The crowd began cheering massively as the two pulled away.

Laney smiled at her crush, "You talk too much."

"So, you really like me back?" Corey, still bewildered, asked. Laney nodded with a bright red face.

"For over three years, Core. You're really dense."

The boy's eyes widened, "What?! How did you- Why didn't I-"

Laney chuckled, "No idea. I'm just one of the guys, remember?"

"Definitely the prettiest guy I've ever seen." Corey wrapped the girl in an affectionate hug. Laney returned it until the announcer called out.

"Will Laney Penn and her blue haired amigo please leave the stage with the rest of her band?"

The two teens pulled away with flushed and walked across the stage hand in hand. As they stepped off the steps, Corey looked down at her.

"So, does this mean you're my…" He blushed, not being able to finish his sentence.

"Girlfriend?" The red head asked. Corey bashfully nodded.

Laney giggled and gave him a light peck on the cheek, "Duh."

**LET'S WRAP THIS PUPPY UP TRANSITION**

"This thing is heavy." Laney grumbled, struggling to carry her massive first place trophy.

Corey laughed at his new girlfriend, "Need some help, Lanes?"

"No." Laney huffed, "You may be my boyfriend, but I can still take care of this."

Despite her words, Laney felt like she was in a dream. Corey laughed and patted her head.

"Whatever you say, Lanes."

Laney rolled her eyes, and continued walking. Her state of bliss and perfection was brought down by the sight of a forty two year old woman with blonde hair running down the street who happened to be none other than her mother, Wanda Penn.

"Laney!" She panted, "I missed- the show.. did you…win?"

Laney rolled her eyes and moved the trophy (which was just as toll as her) in her hands. Wanda screamed in delight and rushed to pick it up.

She kissed the metal object repeatedly, "Yay! I knew you could do it if you quit dressing like a hobo! I'm so proud of you. Look at my..err.. your trophy!" She happily took off down the street without another word, the object in her hands.

Laney blinked, slowly taking in what her mother just did, "So…what now?"

Corey grinned and laced his hand in hers, "Want to go to the park for a while?"

Laney smiled lovingly and leaned into him, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

**—-**

**(AN:) THERE! DONE! FINISHED! FINALE! That took so long. The songs are kinda off because I need to edit them (my song writing skills aren't too greatly polished), but take it and like the Corney!..or not. It's really up to you.**

**Again, I posted this on tumblr before here (thatuntalentedloser is me. Don't know whether to be ashamed or proud), so if it seems familiar, that's why.**

**Welp, I'm off to write some Larrie..or MickxLibby (addicted to that jelly).**


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